While laws prohibiting pay discrimination have been around for decades, recent legislative and regulatory changes, along with other trends, have propelled pay equity into the spotlight. This renewed focus on pay equity creates new challenges — and opportunities — for compliance-minded employers that not only strive to achieve fair pay practices in their workplaces, but also seek to minimize the risk of pay equity claims. One way for employers to face these issues head-on is to conduct pay audits. While...

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The world's largest advertising group snaps up a stake in a French media group and promises to make Europe a priority to avoid fallout from Britain's EU exit. Britain's WPP plc (WPPGY) is bulking up on European assets claiming it has little choice but to buy businesses in some of its key markets in the wake of the U.K.'s Brexit vote. The world's largest advertising firm by revenues announced, on Thursday, Sept. 22, the acquisition of a stake in French media...

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WASHINGTON, Sept. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- At the annual Peace Corps Connect conference, Global Professional Search (GPS) and the National Peace Corps Association (NPCA) formally announce a partnership to connect Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs) and former Peace Corps employees to careers that leverage the cultural and language proficiency acquired during their overseas experience. <img alt="Global Professional Search Logo" class="Maw(100%)" src="https://l3.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/bxJVkE4_qAZefYO9LpGOxg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjtzbT0xO3c9ODAw/https://photos.prnewswire.com/prnvar/20160920/410213LOGO"/>Employers, visit GPS to hire a Peace Corps volunteer or former employee. Candidates, visit GPS to create your profile today. GPS is the leading...

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In this contribution, we focus on the uses of the blockchain in the financial sector. In its most extensive form, blockchain technology could dramatically change the financial sector and monetary systems. Virtual currencies Even without making use of virtual currencies, such as bitcoin, blockchains can be used to settle transactions quickly and cheaply by rendering the involvement of traditional players in the banking system superfluous. This is done by making assets "intelligent". We'll write more about this in a later...

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On 20 September 2016, the Dutch government presented the 2017 Budget.  As part thereof legislative proposals were submitted to Dutch Parliament on the amendment of certain tax laws in the Netherlands. Below, we will summarize some of the rules which are relevant for internationally oriented corporate taxpayers, that will apply as from 1 January 2017. Please note that the summary is based on the current version of the legislative proposal which is still subject to parliamentary approval.   In addition to...

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Education in Belgium ranks third-best among the 35 OECD countries, well above the EU and world averages, with the highest level of pre-school participation, good teachers and a broad and flexible higher education system. The ranking is based on a report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Belgium is one of only six countries in the EU to meet the benchmark level performance on at least seven out of 10 targets set by the OECD and measured...

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NASCIO, Grant Thornton LLP and CompTIA have collaborated for a seventh consecutive year to survey state government IT leaders on current issues, trends and perspectives. New service delivery models, innovative technology solutions, and rising customer expectations all require state CIOs to adapt continually to changing circumstances. We asked state CIOs to share their perspective on a number of topics, with a particular focus on the continued evolution of the CIO as a broker of shared services, on the IT workforce...

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Over the past eight years, we've made incredible progress in our economic recovery. Our businesses have created more than 15 million new jobs since early 2010. Twenty million people now have the security of health coverage thanks to the Affordable Care Act. Together, we've turned around an economy in freefall and put it on a stronger, more durable course. And last week, we got even more great news: the policies we've put in place since the recession have started to pay...

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The drive to make data open—free to use, reuse, and redistribute—is not new, but it’s changing by finding new potential business applications as data technology evolves. Companies are finding that making their data open enables complementary businesses to develop around that information. That openness to other businesses can enhance companies’ own businesses and increase overall transparency. Recent growth in the power of data manipulation, visualization, and storage technologies continues to transform the whole concept of open data, spurring business...

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Today, the European Commission (Commission) announced the opening of a formal investigation into advance tax rulings (ATRs) granted by Luxembourg to companies of the Engie group since 2008. This investigation concerns an individual measure, like most of the recent tax State aid investigations, including those pending into the tax treatment of Amazon and McDonald’s in Luxembourg. As such, it should not directly impact other taxpayers. According to EU State aid rules, the granting of State aid that may distort competition...

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