By Mark GegoryChief Economist, UK | EY The EY ITEM Club Spring Forecast has cut its GDP growth projections to 1.3% for 2019 (from 1.5% in the EY ITEM Club Winter Forecast) and 1.5% for 2020 (down from 1.7%). Despite likely solid-looking GDP growth in the first quarter of 2019, the downward revision for 2019 primarily reflects the prolonged Brexit uncertainty, following the decision to delay the UK’s exit from the EU to a flexible 31 October deadline. A weaker...

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All shared rides within Evanston will have a $3 flat fare. Via aims to be a first-and-last mile solution, connecting residents and commuters to rail stations without the need for a personal vehicle. “At Via, our goal is to eliminate the need for private car ownership by providing affordable, convenient, and eco-friendly on-demand shared transportation that can seamlessly integrate into existing public transit infrastructure” said Alex Lavoie, US General Manager of Via. Using the Via app, passengers select their pick up and drop...

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The EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) took effect 11 months ago. After almost a year of GDPR that became applicable on May 25, 2018, it should be investigated how the main subjects of this Regulation – the companies processing personal data and the member states’ supervisory authorities (“Supervisory Authorities”)– are dealing with it. For instance, the recent Open Right Group’s survey (see below)  shows the number of complaints made by the data subjects (Chart 1) and the number of data breach notification...

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By Tara L Vance | Holland & Knight The U.S. Embassy in Israel has finally made the long-awaited announcement that the required treaty agreement has been signed pursuant to which nationals of Israel will be able to apply for an E-2 visa as of May 1, 2019. What Is an E-2 Visa? An E-2 visa is a nonimmigrant work visa that permits a national of a qualifying country, such as Israel beginning May 1, 2019, to come to the U.S. temporarily if...

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The EACC, in partnership with the International Property Tax Institute (IPTI), wants to keep its members up to date with the latest developments in property taxes in the USA and Europe. IPTI has put together a selection of brief reports from articles contained in IPTI Xtracts which can be found on its website (www.ipti.org).   USA New York: New York State’s 2 percent tax cap, first signed into law in 2011 and renewed periodically since then, is now permanent. Governor Andrew Cuomo included...

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US-based companies looking to hire a foreign person to work in the country must understand the difficult visa processes. While there are complexities around bringing foreign talent into the US, there still are many options for building your workforce with qualified employees, especially when looking to transfer current employees from other countries. Prior to hiring foreign workers in the US, companies have many things to consider such as cost and time commitment, documentation and procedures and types of visas. Cost and time While...

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Key Events This Week Pelosi Backs the Good Friday Agreement Nancy Pelosi is the only woman to have served as speaker of the House, and is the highest-ranking elected woman in United States history. Speaking at the London School of Economics on Monday evening, Mrs Pelosi said the 1998 Good Friday Agreement was a model that could not be “bargained away in another agreement… if there were any weakening of the Good Friday accords, there would be no chance whatsoever, a...

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One of the biggest questions consumers have regarding homeowner's insurance revolves around the amount of insurance to have on their home. Many assume the amount of dwelling coverage will be equal to the amount they paid for their house. That is not always the case.   There are different methods to determine the value of a house. Market value is the price paid for your house. Replacement cost is the price or cost it will take to rebuild your house in the same spot, same...

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By Darrel Pearson, Lincoln Caylor, Jessica Horwitz, Julie Wilson | Bennett Jones LLP In a reversal of long-standing U.S. policy, any person or entity with business operations or relationships in Cuba may soon face civil liability in the United States. On April 17, 2019, the Trump administration announced that it would not extend the suspension of the right to bring an action under Title III of the Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity (LIBERTAD) Act of 1996, better known as the Helms-Burton Act, beyond...

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