Singapore plans Southeast Asia’s first carbon tax from 2019

  Bloomberg Singapore plans to implement Southeast Asia’s first carbon tax starting in 2019, a move that would raise energy costs in the island nation and require more than 30 big polluters such as power plants to pay the levy. The proposal would charge between S$10 ($7) and S$20 a ton on emissions of carbon dioxide and five other greenhouse ...

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Hong Kong developers advance ahead of budget speech

  Bloomberg Hong Kong property stocks extended gains ahead of the city’s annual budget speech on Wednesday, as some analysts anticipated announcements that would benefit developers. Property companies were the biggest gainers on the Hang Seng Index, with Sun Hung Kai Properties Ltd. climbing almost 3 percent and Henderson Land Development Co. advancing 1.4 percent, both on volume that was ...

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A ‘quiet revolution’ looms for Japan’s stock market

  Bloomberg After years of disappointment, a quiet revolution may be underway in the Japanese stock market. Japan’s companies have for years sat on record piles of cash — the equivalent of $2.4 trillion in September, the most in the world. The issue has been deploying those funds for shareholder benefit. A key part of Abenomics has been sharpening the ...

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Trump’s travel ban not to hit US economy

  Bloomberg The US economy should be able to weather President Donald Trump’s temporary travel ban, economists say, though any broadening of immigration and visa restrictions could hurt the labor force and productivity. Two-thirds of economists surveyed by Bloomberg said the ban, which has for the moment been temporarily suspended by the courts, will have “little to no effect” on ...

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EU tries to keep multinationals from using tax loopholes

  AP European Union finance ministers agreed on Tuesday to new rules aimed at preventing multinational companies from exploiting differences in tax rates between countries in the 28-country EU and those outside the bloc. At a meeting in Brussels, ministers backed the new rules, which will target various practices whereby large corporations can take advan-tage of loopholes between the tax ...

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US utilities warn investors of tax reform risks

  Bloomberg US utility owners from Duke Energy Corp. to NextEra Energy Inc. are warning investors that their earnings may take a hit from tax reforms being floated in Washington. At risk is a provision corporations have enjoyed for years. It gives utilities the right to deduct what can be considerable tax expenses because of the billions of dollars of ...

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Britain posts record surplus of $11.7 billion

  Bloomberg Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond received a pre-budget boost as Britain posted the biggest surplus for any January since at least 2001. The 9.4 billion-pound ($11.7 billion) surplus compared with 9.1 billion pounds a year earlier, the Office for National Statistics said Tuesday. Revenue rose 5.3 percent and spending increased 5.4 percent. The figures are restated going ...

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Air France plans to fight budget rivals on costs

  Bloomberg Air France pilots approved the carrier’s plan to carve out a new, lower-cost business to counter increasing pressure from rivals, marking a rare agreement with workers after years of contentious labor relations at the carrier. Flight-deck employees represented by the SNPL union, who account for two-thirds of pilots at the French arm of Air France-KLM Group, voted 58.1 ...

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Wal-Mart earnings fall, but online sales surge

  BENTONVILLE / AP Wal-Mart says fourth-quarter earnings fell nearly 18 percent, hurt by its investments in e-commerce and stores. But the world’s largest retailer saw its U.S. business accelerate during the period that covers the holiday shopping season. The Bentonville, Arkansas-based company said on Tuesday it earned $3.76 billion, or $1.22 per share in the three months ended Jan. ...

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Deliveroo records 23% increase in lunchtime orders

  Dubai / Emirates Business As Deliveroo, the growing on-demand food delivery company, celebrates four years in business, it reveals new figures that demonstrate how the platform is helping restaurants in the UAE win new customers and generate more revenue. With more than 800 restaurant partners in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, restaurant owners have reported a sustained growth in meal ...

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