New Zealand calls on Hobbit makers to pay back $56 million subsidy Following the tremendous box office success of The Hobbit film a New Zealand official has called on the moviemakers to repay the $56 million (NZ$67 million) subsidy they received from the country’s taxpayers to fund shooting in New Zealand. The first movie in Peter Jackson’s upcoming trilogy based on J.R.R.Tolkien’s best-selling... 

Americans denouncing their citizenship in record numbers If you think residing in America is taxing, just talk to one of the many expatriates who is contributing to a shocking statistic recently discovered: across the globe, people are renouncing their US citizenship in record numbers. At least 1,788 Americans officially threw away their US citizenship in 2011, exceeding the totals from 2007, 2008... 

Amid the soaring tuition fees burdening British students, a new controversy has erupted, revealing that over £250 million of British taxpayers’ money is allocated annually to fund university education for students from other EU countries. This revelation has stirred public outcry, especially as domestic students are warned of graduating with substantial debts due to the impending tripling of... 

Calls increased use of liens during tough economic times unnecessary. A government watchdog says the Internal Revenue Service is tormenting struggling taxpayers in the midst of a slumping economy by increasing the number of liens the agency has filed against people who owe back taxes. The IRS filed nearly 1.1 million liens in the budget year that ended in September, a 14 percent jump over the previous... 

Provisions in Dream Act qualify undocumented for fed money. Want to know how the lame ducks in Congress plan to “cut” federal spending – which seemed to be a dominating theme of the 2010 elections? They’re proposing a plan to take upwards of $44 billion a year from taxpayers and hand it over to illegal aliens who are in the United States so they can go to college. The plan is called... 

Obama US government will be handed the power to seize control of a failing bank and derivatives trading will be subject to new controls. Wall Street banks face their toughest clampdown since the Great Depression after the US Senate passed Barack Obama’s banking reform bill. In a historic change, the US government will be handed the power to seize control of a failing bank to avoid a collapse... 

A German stockbroker in Frankfurt puts a hand to his head as he watches the computer screens today. The German stock market slipped today amid German anger and fears over the European bailout German anger at the 750billion Euro Greek bailout is swelling as world markets slid after initial excitement at the bailout fizzled. The headline on the front page of Germany’s biggest newspaper, Bild, summed...