The use of tax havens in exemption regimes

This paper analyzes the tax haven investment behavior of multinational firms from a country that exempts foreign income from taxation. High foreign tax rates generally encourage firms to invest in tax havens, though significant costs of reallocating taxable income dampen these incentives. The behavior of German manufacturing firms from 2002-2008 is consistent with this prediction: at the mean, one percentage point higher foreign tax rates are associated with three percentage point greater likelihoods of owning tax haven affiliates. This contrasts with earlier evidence for U.S. firms subject to home country taxation, which are more likely to invest in tax havens if they face lower foreign tax rates. Foreign tax rates appear to be unrelated to tax haven investments of German firms in service industries, possibly reflecting the difficulty they face in reallocating taxable income

The Use of Tax Havens in Exemption Regimes

This paper analyzes the tax haven investment behavior of multinational firms from a country that exempts foreign income from taxation. High foreign tax rates generally encourage firms to invest in tax havens, though significant costs of reallocating taxable income dampen these incentives. The behavior of German manufacturing firms from 2002-2008 is consistent with this prediction: at the mean, one percentage point higher foreign tax rates are associated with three percentage point greater likelihoods of owning tax haven affiliates. This contrasts with earlier evidence for U.S. firms subject to home country taxation, which are more likely to invest in tax havens if they face lower foreign tax rates. Foreign tax rates appear to be unrelated to tax haven investments of German firms in service industries, possibly reflecting the difficulty they face in reallocating taxable income.

Adolescent sex offenders with autism spectrum conditions: currently used treatment approaches and their impact

Aims: Offending behaviour in adolescents with autism spectrum conditions (ASC) is rare. However, some theoretical links have been drawn between sexual offending and autism-typical deficits. Although research in this area is scarce, case-studies have begun to evaluate the impact of treatments for juvenile sexual offenders with ASC. This review aimed to summarise the available treatments for this group and their impact on young people (YP). Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted. Six online data-bases were searched for studies detailing interventions with adolescent sexual offenders with ASC. Results: Six case-studies were reviewed. Interventions consisted of detailed assessments, staff training, peer support, medication, and adapted cognitive- behavioural therapy. One case-study used narrative techniques. Only two studies reported on objective and measurable treatment effects whilst the remainder relied solely on anecdotal evidence. Studies presenting quantitative data found a decrease in sexual arousal, absconding, sexually harmful/inappropriate behaviour, and masturbation to deviant fantasies. Anecdotal evidence pointed to increased insight, flexibility, ability to open-up, and reintegration. The overall quality of studies was low with one exception. Research and clinical implications are discussed. Conclusions: Whilst some benefitted from the currently used treatment options, results cannot be generalised due to methodological flaws

Asymptotic modeling of Helmholtz resonators\\ including thermoviscous effects

We systematically employ the method of matched asymptotic expansions to model Helmholtz resonators, with thermoviscous effects incorporated starting from first principles and with the lumped parameters characterizing the neck and cavity geometries precisely defined and provided explicitly for a wide range of geometries. With an eye towards modeling acoustic metasurfaces, we consider resonators embedded in a rigid surface, each resonator consisting of an arbitrarily shaped cavity connected to the external half-space by a small cylindrical neck. The bulk of the analysis is devoted to the problem where a single resonator is subjected to a normally incident plane wave; the model is then extended using “Foldy’s method” to the case of multiple resonators subjected to an arbitrary incident field. As an illustration, we derive critical-coupling conditions for optimal and perfect absorption by a single resonator and a model metasurface, respectively

Minimizing Bias in Biomass Allometry: Model Selection and Log‐Transformation of Data

Nonlinear regression is increasingly used to develop allometric equations for forest biomass estimation (i.e., as opposed to the traditional approach of log‐transformation followed by linear regression). Most statistical software packages, however, assume additive errors by default, violating a key assumption of allometric theory and possibly producing spurious models. Here, we show that such models may bias stand‐level biomass estimates by up to 100 percent in young forests, and we present an alternative nonlinear fitting approach that conforms with allometric theory

GPA Accession: Lessons Learned on the Strengths and Weaknesses of the WTO Government Procurement Agreement

Many member nations of the World Trade Organization (WTO) have joined the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA), a plurilateral agreement which aims to open public procurement markets. Joining the agreement reflects a commitment to international free trade, and to the rule of law in public procurement. A revised version of the GPA entered into force in 2014, and incorporated many amendments intended to make it easier for developing nations join the GPA. Among other things, the revised GPA now allows developing nations acceding to the GPA to open their public procurement markets more slowly, various transitional measures. This article reviews those changes, and discusses possible solutions to some of the practical and legal hurdles which nations face, as they consider accession to the GPA

Boundary-layer effects on electromagnetic and acoustic extraordinary transmission through narrow slits

We study the problem of resonant extraordinary transmission of electromagnetic and acoustic waves through subwavelength slits in an infinite plate, whose thickness is close to a half-multiple of the wavelength. We build on the matched-asymptotics analysis of Holley & Schnitzer (2019 Wave Motion91, 102381 (doi:10.1016/j.wavemoti.2019.102381)), who considered a single-slit system assuming an idealized formulation where dissipation is neglected and the electromagnetic and acoustic problems are analogous. We here extend that theory to include thin dissipative boundary layers associated with finite conductivity of the plate in the electromagnetic problem and viscous and thermal effects in the acoustic problem, considering both single-slit and slit-array configurations. By considering a distinguished boundary-layer scaling where dissipative and diffractive effects are comparable, we develop accurate analytical approximations that are generally valid near resonance; the electromagnetic–acoustic analogy is preserved up to a single parameter that is provided explicitly for both scenarios. The theory is shown to be in excellent agreement with GHz-microwave and kHz-acoustic experiments in the literature