UK raises tax for top earners

UK raises tax for top earners

By Daniel Pimlott

Published: April 22 2009 19:25 | Last updated: April 22 2009 23:00

Britain’s Labour government on Wednesday unveiled plans to ramp up taxes on the rich and rein in public spending as its chancellor of the exchequer Alistair Darling confirmed a huge increase in borrowing to restore the public finances, which are in their worst state since the second world war.

Announcing plans to raise the top rate of income tax from 40 per cent to 50 per cent next year for those earning more than £150,000, Mr Darling said the move was part of a “fairness” agenda which would see the wealthy help support the poor.

However, the move is a significant blow to the UK’s keenly guarded image as a lower-tax economy capable of attracting the best foreign workers, particularly to its financial hub in the City of London.

Figures from PwC showed that as a result of the change the UK has dropped from second place to sixth place among G7 countries in the percentage of salary that the highest earners get to keep after tax. Of the G7 nations only Italy remains below the UK.

A rise from 40 per cent to 45 per cent had been foreshadowed but the extra increase took politicians by surprise and was seen as a largely political move to sharpen the dividing line between the government and a resurgent Conservative opposition that currently enjoys a commanding lead in the opinion polls.

The move and other tax rises on those earning six-figure salaries will raise a relatively modest amount – about £2bn (£2.9bn) – and therefore do little on its own to help plug the gap in the public finances.

In his annual Budget speech, Mr Darling forecast that the British economy would contract by 3.5 per cent in 2009, although he expected growth to resume “towards the end of the year”. The economy would then expand by 1.25 per cent in 2010 and at an annual rate of 3.5 per cent from 2011.

His forecasts are more optimistic than the market’s consensus and the International Monetary Fund’s latest estimates.

During the past decade, Gordon Brown, prime minister, has boasted of ending Britain’s boom-to-bust economic cycle and of turning the country into the most vibrant economy in Europe.

However, Mr Darling warned that public borrowing would reach a postwar high of £175bn this financial year, or 12.4 per cent of gross domestic product, falling to £173bn next year. Public sector net debt will almost double to 79 per cent of national income by 2013. It is not expected to fall until 2015-16.

Mr Darling said the current public deficit was “set to halve within four years”, and outlined a cut in real spending growth on public services from 1.2 per cent to 0.7 per cent from 2011 in order to restore confidence.

“There are no quick fixes. There are no overnight solutions,” Mr Darling said.

Mr Darling said the provision for the cost of a banking bail-out and intervention measures would be more than £50bn, at 3.5 per cent of gross domestic product.

David Cameron, leader of the opposition Conservative party, said Mr Darling had written himself into the history books with “a whole chapter in red ink”.

Other measures to raise revenues include raising the duty on alcohol and tobacco by 2 per cent.

Mr Darling said the tax rises would deliver an extra £6bn in revenues by 2012.

He also used the Budget to commit the government to cutting carbon emissions by 34 per cent by 2020, and offered additional funding for energy efficient homes and buildings. There was also funding for green manufacturing.

The government confirmed it would implement a car scrappage scheme next month, paying buyers of new cars £2,000 if they dispose of cars that are more than 10 years old. The scheme will run until March next year.

The chancellor said previous cuts in income tax and VAT along with higher pensions and capital spending were “protecting thousands of jobs”. Meanwhile, the boost provided by fiscal and monetary policy, lower oil prices and weaker sterling was expected to protect 500,000 jobs, Mr Darling said.

Everyone under the age of 25 who has been out of work for 12 months would get a job or training, and the government was working with employers to provide an additional 250,000 jobs.

The chancellor extended extra tax credits for children and the disabled, and promised to allow grandparents of working age to count care for their grandchildren towards their state pension.

Continuing his efforts to boost to the housing market, Mr Darling extended the stamp duty holiday for properties sold for less than £175,000 to the end of the year.

He also sought to encourage spending by businesses through doubling the capital allowance for businesses this year to 40 per cent, in an effort to encourage companies to bring forward investment.

For savers, he raised the allowance on tax-free savings to £10,200 from £7,200 for those over 50 from this year, and for everyone else next year.

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Wealthy left to lick their wounds

By Sharlene Goff

Published: April 22 2009 20:47 | Last updated: April 22 2009 20:47

High earners were dealt a double blow in the Budget, which raised the highest rate of income tax to 50 per cent and curbed the amount of tax relief they can claim on pension contributions.

In what accountants and advisers quickly dubbed the “Robin Hood Budget”, Alistair Darling risked an exodus of wealthy individuals from the UK as he introduced a punitive income tax regime for the highly-paid.

The government had previously planned to introduce a new income tax rate of 45 per cent on income over £150,000 from April 2011. But in an attempt to plug a gaping hole in the public finances, it has brought this increase forward by a year and raised the rate to 50 per cent. It also removed the personal allowance – the first £6,475 of earnings that are currently tax-free – for high earners and watered down tax breaks for wealthy pension savers.

“High earners are clearly going to be feeling under the cosh,” said Richard Mannion, national tax director at accountancy group Smith & Williamson. “There will be the loss of personal allowances from next year for those earning over £100,000 a year and a new higher rate of 50 per cent for those earning over £150,000, followed by a reduction in pension relief for those earning over £150,000 in 2011.”

In return for these higher taxes, the government announced a number of measures to help savers – including a £3,000 increase to the annual individual savings account (Isa) allowance – and tax credits to boost the incomes of lower earning pensioners and families.
Income tax

Anyone earning more than £100,000 will face higher tax bills in less than a year’s time – with the worst hit those with earnings over £150,000. From April 6 2010 they will have to pay half of any earnings above that level in income tax and will also lose their tax-free personal allowance of £6,475.

Deloitte calculates that the combined effect of the new 50 per cent income tax rate and the loss of the personal allowance means that someone with an income of £250,000 will from next year have to pay £12,590 more in income tax.

When these income tax rises are combined with the previously announced increase to the rate of employees’ National Insurance, Ernst & Young calculates that, “the [top] rate would soar to 51.5 per cent, the sixth highest in the OECD”.

Then, from April 2011, anyone earning more than £150,000 will see their ability to claim income tax relief on pension contributions restricted.

“This goes way further than anyone expected,” said Jonathan Rice, associate partner at Deloitte, the accountancy firm. “For a long time, there has been an attack on higher rate taxpayers who, to an extent, are being held responsible for the financial woes of economy.”

Advisers felt these extra charges could be extreme enough to persuade the highest earners to leave the UK for other, more favourable, tax jurisdictions and to deter successful entrepreneurs from moving here.

“This might tip the balance for higher earners who had just about got used to a tax rate of 45 per cent, only to hear they will have to pay even more,” said Leonie Kerswill, tax partner at PwC. “It is likely this will encourage some people to leave the UK and work elsewhere.”

Income tax rises may also encourage companies to bump up or restructure the salaries and bonuses of executives this tax year.

“The higher taxes could speed the exodus of financial professionals to Geneva and Zurich which have laid out the welcome mat and are being touted as low-tax world financial centres,” said David Adams, head of residential at Chesterton Humberts, the estate agent.
Pensions

Changes to the tax relief on pensions will also deter higher earners from saving, warn advisers.

At present, higher rate taxpayers can claim income tax relief of 40 per cent on pension contributions. But from 2011, people with income over £150,000 will be unable to claim the full higher rate relief. The government said the relief would be tapered down until it is capped at the basic rate of 20 per cent for anyone earning more than £180,000.

So, those earning £180,000 will only be able to claim back 20 per cent on pension contributions, even though they will have paid income tax of up to 50 per cent.

PwC calculates that someone earning enough to make the maximum pension contribution of £245,000 a year would miss out on £49,000 in tax relief when the new rules kick in.

They also face a double blow as full income tax will still be charged on any benefits taken from pensions in retirement, even though they have not benefited from the full relief.

“Removing this incentive to save, particularly at a time when economic circumstances have affected people’s views over the value of pension saving, sends completely the wrong message,” said Martin Palmer, head of corporate pensions marketing at Friends Provident.

“Higher earners will ultimately receive basic rate tax relief on the contributions they pay in but when they come to take their pension they will no doubt have to pay the higher rate of tax.”
Savings

Better news came for savers, who will be able to contribute more into tax-free Isas. The chancellor extended the Isa allowance from £7,200 to £10,200. Investors over the age of 50 can make use of the increased allowance from October 6 this year. All other savers will be able to from the start of the next tax year on April 6, 2010.

Up to half – £5,100 – of the enhanced Isa allowance can be used for cash savings, with the remainder open to other investments such as equities and bonds.
Investment

Other than the extension to Isas, investors received few incentives.

Investors willing to back higher-risk ventures through the enterprise investment scheme (EIS) will be allowed to “carry back” their entire investment to the previous tax year. Previously, investors could only carry back the 20 per cent tax relief allowed on EIS investments up to £50,000. Now, they can claim relief on up to £500,000.

But some advisers believed that investors’ behaviour, and their choice of schemes, would be more influenced by the increased gap between the 50 per cent rate of income tax and the 18 per cent rate of capital gains tax (CGT).

“This widens the gap between CGT and income tax,” said Richard Proctor at Grant Thornton. “I expect there will be new opportunities for investing in assets that produce capital gains.” Leonie Kerswill of PwC suggested wealthier investors would take a renewed interest in property. “It might encourage some to go into buy-to-let because you only get CGT at 18 per cent – especially if they think property prices have pretty much hit the bottom.”
Housing

First-time buyers and homeowners received little help. One of the measures aimed at stimulating the housing market was a three-month extension to the stamp duty holiday for properties worth £175,000 or less. But estate agents did not expect this to have much of an effect on the market.

More money was allocated to stimulate new housebuilding and support shared equity schemes, although this will only help low-income homebuyers looking to live in new-builds.

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Bahrain retools its labour market

By Digby Lidstone

Published: April 22 2009 16:14 | Last updated: April 22 2009 16:14

Among the numerous street protests that have gripped Bahrain in recent months, none were so genteel as the weekly gatherings in March of businessmen at the doors of Tamkeen, the recently rebranded labour fund.

The focus of the protesters’ anger is a BD10 ($26.6) monthly tax on every foreign worker, introduced last July. The funds are to be used by Tamkeen – “the enabler” – to train Bahraini nationals for work in the private sector, as part of wider reforms intended to cut unemployment, diversify the economy and reduce the public wage bill.

“The labour market reforms are about making the private sector the employer of choice, and equipping Bahrainis for those roles,” says Abdulellah al-Qassimi, chief executive of the fund.

Not all private-sector employers appreciate Tamkeen’s efforts. The tax is designed to reduce incentives for hiring workers from overseas and to make Bahrainis more attractive. As such it is particularly unpopular within industries that operate on low margins and rely on cheap foreign labour, such as construction.

“I already pay BD200 to bring a worker into the country, and now they’re taxing me to keep him,” says Ibrahim Yousef of the Bahrain Contractors’ Society. Local fishermen, many of whom employ workers from India and Pakistan, went on strike in February in protest.

The government has been grappling with labour market reform for several years. Its first task was to improve transparency.

An independent regulator, the Labour Market Regulatory Authority, was hived off from the Labour Ministry in 2006. The LMRA is responsible for registering foreign employees and licensing new companies. It is one of the few such bodies in the Gulf to publish job market data.

The second task was job creation. Tamkeen has accumulated a BD66m war chest, to be spent over the next four years. The lion’s share is earmarked for specialist training in areas where Bahrain is considered to have a competitive advantage, such as financial services and healthcare.

A case in point is a BD11.8m programme to train medical workers, run in partnership with the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.

“It is important to be selective,” says Mr Qassimi. “We only plan to train 61 aeronautics engineers, for example. Yes, we could train 1,000 engineers and try to create a new aviation industry for Bahrain, but just as likely we would end up with 940 unemployed engineers.”

A further BD12.6m is earmarked for career development, primarily for middle-income Bahrainis earning between BD200 and BD400 a month. The government hopes this will reduce demand for jobs in the public sector, where the median monthly wage is BD899, more than three times the private-sector average.

An additional BD24.5m of programmes, run in partnership with local companies such as Shamil Bank and Bahrain Development Bank, are intended to supply start-up financing and loans for small businesses.

Mr Qassimi admits the sums involved are modest. “Fifty million is not a huge sum in an economy of five billion, but our aim is to be the small stone that starts the avalanche, the small cog trying to turn a bigger wheel.”

The source of Tamkeen’s finances also preserves its semi-independence – it answers to the Economic Development Board, brainchild of Bahrain’s reformist crown prince.

A populist parliament has attempted to derail the government’s reforms on several occasions. This week, Bahrain’s labour minister quashed a law drafted by deputies that would impose a BD500 fine on “runaway workers” who leave their jobs without permission.

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Suriname in bauxite deal with Glencore

9 hours 15 mins ago
AFP

* Print Story

Suriname Wednesday signed a deal with Swiss-based Glencore International inviting it to be a strategic partner in bauxite negotiations with US aluminum giant Alcoa.

Natural Resources Minister Gregory Rusland said the memorandum of understanding was confidential, but that Glencore would financially back the state-owned aluminum company, Alumsur.

It "should be seen as a basis for negotiations with other partners," Rusland said before the signing ceremony in the South American nation.

He offered reassurances that Suriname would not sell off its natural resources cheaply, with the former Dutch colony's bauxite deposits rating as among the world's richest.

"We will sell our products in accordance with world market prices," Rusland said, without disclosing details of Glencore's investments in Alumsur.

Last year Suriname rejected a 700-million-dollar deal proposed by the world's largest miner BHP Billiton for continued operations in West Suriname which holds at least 325 million tonnes of proven reserves of bauxite.

It is believed Alumsur will take over the Australian-owned BHP-Billiton shares and continue to provide a 45 percent share of bauxite ore to feed the Suralco refinery until 2010, when current reserves in East Suriname will be depleted.

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Statoil’s Arctic Status Threatened as Exxon, Shell Make Bids
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By Vibeke Laroi and Marianne Stigset

April 22 (Bloomberg) -- StatoilHydro ASA may see its dominance eroded in Norway’s Arctic as Exxon Mobil Corp. and Royal Dutch Shell Plc bid in the country’s first frontier oil and natural-gas licensing round for three years.

Norway has offered 28 complete and partial blocks in the Barents Sea off its northern tip and 51 in the Norwegian Sea, which straddles the Arctic Circle. The permits will be awarded “sometime in the spring,” said Jon Evang, an Oil Ministry spokesman, without being more specific.

State-controlled StatoilHydro is the only producer in the Barents Sea, with the Snohvit gas field. It’s also planning to develop the nearby Goliat oilfield with Italy’s Eni SpA for $4 billion. Exxon, Chevron Corp. and Shell are among the 46 companies to request blocks, almost twice as many as in 2006.

“Statoil will have the most to lose,” said Oswald Clint, an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein in London. “If it doesn’t find big enough discoveries, then they have to say: ‘Look, we have to shift focus and start exploring internationally.’ In that arena they’re competing with everyone else.”

StatoilHydro’s stock has lost 32 percent in the past year as profit declined for two quarters, partly because of oil’s $100 a barrel plunge from a record. It has canceled projects including an upgrade at the Troll gas field and sold the equivalent of $6.2 billion in bonds to raise funds.

Increased Competition

Chief Executive Officer Helge Lund’s overseas expansion plans have been slowed by a tripling of costs to develop Canadian oil-sands projects, and U.S. sanctions against Iran. It gets about 40 percent of its international output from Angola, which has had to curb production to meet OPEC quotas. StatoilHydro’s reserve replacement ratio fell to 34 percent last year from 86 percent in 2007.

“We’re used to having competition, but the picture on the Norwegian continental shelf has changed,” Ola Morten Aanestad, a company spokesman, said by phone. “Before we had a few big companies, and now we’re seeing many very small companies.”

Smaller explorers, including Det Norske Oljeselskap ASA, North Energy AS and Discover Petroleum AS, are also seeking access to the area where five discoveries were made in 2007 and 2008, including StatoilHydro’s Nucula field.

Norway first awarded drilling rights in 1965 and ranks as the world’s third-largest gas and fifth-largest oil exporter. The government takes a 100,000 kroner ($15,000) application fee for licenses, which are handed out according to technical expertise, experience and financial ability. They are mostly given to ventures where at least one partner has drilled as an operator previously.

Estimated Resources

The country’s Barents Sea may hold 1.03 billion cubic meters of oil equivalent in undiscovered oil and gas. About 53 percent is gas, equal to about five times Norway’s annual output. The Norwegian Sea has 1.20 billion cubic meters of oil equivalent in undiscovered resources and the North Sea 1.18 billion, according to the country’s Petroleum Directorate.

About 25 percent of the recoverable resources on Norway’s continental shelf have yet to be discovered and only about 50 percent is open for exploration, according to the directorate.

Terje Jonassen, a spokesman for Shell in Norway, and Exxon spokesman Eirik Hauge declined to comment. StatoilHydro has applied for blocks in all areas, said Geir Richardsen, the company’s head of far-north exploration.

Shell was awarded operatorship of one license in the previous round, though it hasn’t started drilling yet. Chevron also won a stake in 2006.

‘Geologically Similar’

“The golden blocks for us lie between Nucula and Goliat in the Barents Sea, because they are geologically similar to the discoveries made there,” said Yngve Vassmyr, a director at Tromsoe, Norway-based Discover Petroleum. “We see a 40 percent to 50 percent chance of making a discovery. There’s a lot of competition.”

Repsol YPF SA, Spain’s largest oil company, agreed in March to work with Det Norske Oljeselskap ASA on projects in the Barents Sea and has also bid in the round.

Norway’s push is similar to efforts around the world to tap the Arctic. The U.S. Geological Survey said last year that the region may hold 90 billion barrels of oil, more than all the known reserves of Nigeria, Kazakhstan and Mexico combined. Russia’s Arctic Shtokman gas project is estimated to hold enough gas to meet world demand for a year.

Environmental Opposition

Still, the projects are riskier and costlier, and also opposed by environmental groups. In Norway, Kristin Halvorsen, finance minister and head of the Socialist Left Party, has vowed to fight further expansion of Arctic drilling.

Discoveries in Norway last year varied in size between 1 million and 26 million cubic meters of oil equivalent, according to the Petroleum Directorate. More finds will be needed to make fields commercially viable, said Erik Karlstroem, chief executive officer of North Energy.

“The greatest expectations for making a significant discovery on the Norwegian shelf are in areas that are not part of the 20th licensing round and are not yet open,” said Lars- Arne Ryssdal at the Norwegian Oil Industry Association, referring to areas of Lofoten and Vesteraalen.

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中東向け円借款倍増　政府がＯＤＡ配分方針

　政府が2009年度から公表する政府開発援助（ＯＤＡ）に関する重点方針が22日、明らかになった。金融危機の影響を受けるアジアの成長力強化やアフガニスタン復興などテロ撲滅を重点分野と明記。地域別の配分目標を初めて明示し、09年度は中東向け円借款を前年度比ほぼ倍増の1130億円とし、アジアへの円借款も7600億円へと1000億円の積み増しを目指す。23日に発表する。

　ＯＤＡを巡ってはこれまで年度末に配分後の実績額のみを公表していたが「使い道が不透明だ」との指摘も多かった。年度当初に基本方針や地域ごとに配分目標を示し、透明性や効率性の向上につなげる。(07:02)

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北方４島ロシア人にビザ発給、官房長官「例外的な措置」

　河村官房長官は２３日午前の記者会見で、ビザなし交流の北方４島交流代表者間協議に出席する北方４島在住のロシア人に、初めて入国ビザを発給していたことを明らかにした。

　日本の領土内の住人が日本国内を移動することにビザは不要だという論理が崩れ、北方４島に対するロシアの領有を認めることにつながりかねないが、河村長官は「交流が円滑に進むよう、サハリンを経由する方への例外的な措置」と説明した。

　同協議に出席する４島在住ロシア人は従来、船で北海道を訪れていたが、河村長官によると、今回は気象条件などで、船舶で直接北海道を訪れることが困難となり、サハリン経由の空路をとったという。このため、ロシアから日本に入国する格好となり、ビザが必要だと判断した。同協議は２３日に札幌で始まった。

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抜き打ち尿検査で朝青龍医薬品服用を心配

検査を終えて余裕の表情を見せる朝青龍
検査を終えて余裕の表情を見せる朝青龍

　日本相撲協会は２２日、東京・両国国技館で大麻や違法薬物の使用をチェックする「抜き打ち尿検査」を実施した。対象となったのは武蔵川部屋など５部屋で、武蔵川理事長（元横綱三重ノ海）は自ら１番手で検査を受けた。横綱朝青龍（２８＝高砂）は、手続きの面で、前回（昨年９月２日）の検査より厳格化された今回の検査を評価。一方で前夜に医薬品を服したことが、検査結果に影響しないか不安も口にした。

　午後１時、相撲診療所で真っ先に検査を受けたのは武蔵川部屋の師匠でもある武蔵川理事長だった。続いて関取衆、幕下以下の若い衆、部屋付き親方、世話人、床山が検査を受ける。力士だけでなく、行司や呼び出しまで、初めて全協会員が対象となる「抜き打ち尿検査」だ。この日は５２部屋中、武蔵川、高砂など５部屋の計１０３人が受検。朝青龍も姿を見せた。

　検査には生活指導部特別委員会の親方衆７人が立ち会った。トイレの個室で２人１組となり、順次に尿を採取。受検者は、尿を入れる紙コップをその場で選択し、ビニール製の容器に尿を移し替え、キャップを装着、キャップの上にシールを張る作業を１人で行い、一部始終を親方衆や相撲診療所の医師らが監視する仕組で行なわれたという。

　朝青龍　すばらしかった。国際的なルールにのっとってしっかりやりました。再発防止に向けてこういうことが大事。前回はあり得ないやり方だった。親方がコップを手渡したりしてね。

　昨年９月２日に実施された簡易尿検査では、親方が力士１人１人に紙コップを手渡したという。同検査で陽性反応となり、協会を解雇された元露鵬、元白露山の代理人がこの点を指摘して、「事前に操作があったのでは」と陰謀説を唱える騒動にもなった。

　前回の反省を生かした検査だったが、正確には「抜き打ち」ではなかった。実は朝青龍らは、前々日の２０日には検査の実施を知っていた。慶大教授で検査責任者の大西祥平委員の「２日前に使用した薬物は体内に残存して反応する」という見解もあり、５部屋の師匠には２０日に事前通告されていたのだ。

　検査で採取された尿（検体）は、専門機関「三菱化学メディエンス」で簡易検査、精密検査の段階を踏んで結果は後日判明する。朝青龍は「全員がクリーンになるように祈るよ」と話す一方で、「昨日、（酒を）飲み過ぎてバファリンと太田胃散をのんだけど、大丈夫かな」と首をかしげた。検体が風邪薬などで陽性反応を示す可能性はあるが、精密検査で明白になる。本当に「黒」となれば、それこそ一大事。朝青龍のジョークさえ笑えない検査は、今後も続く。

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労働保険料を誤徴収　システムに欠陥、７億円取りすぎ

　厚生労働省は22日、2007―08年度の労働保険料の保険率を誤り、全国の1144カ所の事業場から計7億3300万円を取りすぎ、236カ所から1億1900万円少なく徴収していたと発表した。

　同省労働保険徴収課によると、徴収システムにプログラムミスがあり、労災の発生状況に応じて保険料を最大4割増減する制度を適用しなかったのが原因。取りすぎた保険料は速やかに返還し、不足分は今年度分と合わせて追加徴収する。ただ厳しい経済情勢を踏まえ、分割払いや延納などの相談に応じる。

　各地の労働局に複数の指摘があり発覚。本来は制度の適用条件を満たしていた企業の一部を対象外として扱った。03年にシステムを改修した際にミスがあったという。(07:02)

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クリック一つで…マンションもネットで購入の時代

　マンションもネットで安く買う時代に突入－。不動産オークションサイト「マザーズオークション」が、経営破綻したマンション開発会社「ダイナシティ」の在庫物件をオークションにかけたところ、割安な価格がウケて大盛況となっている。入札開始から１週間足らずで約３分の１の物件が落札されたというから、なかなかのものだ。

　マザーズオークションでは今月１７日から５月８日まで、「駅近コンパクトマンション特集」と銘打ち、昨年１０月に民事再生法適用を申請したダイナシティの在庫７棟６２物件をオークションにかけている。

　実際にサイトをのぞいてみると、マンションの立地や階数などのデータのほか、間取り、室内、エレベーターホールなどの写真が見られるようになっている。

　情報をチェックして購入したいと思ったら、免許証などのコピーをファクスして本人確認などの手続きをへて、入札に参加する。入札では「６０分終了ルール」を採用。誰かが入札した後、１時間以内に別の入札がなければ、その人が落札者となる仕組みだ。

　最低入札価格は、オークションにかけられる前の販売価格（旧価格）と比べて４割以上値引きされているケースも。その安さがウケて、出展された６２物件のうち約２０件はすでに落札済みとなっている。

【破綻「ダイナシティ」の在庫、格安で】

　物件をいくつか挙げると、東京都北区滝野川２丁目の「ダイナシティ王子」３０１号室は２７．６６平方メートルで、最低入札価格が１３５０万円（旧価格２１５０万円）。板橋区舟渡１丁目の「ダイナシティ浮間公園」は３９．０３平方メートルで、２３４０万円（旧価格３３４０万円）となっている。

　マザーズオークションを運営するアイディーユー（大阪市）は「インターネットだけで物件概要を確認して落札する方もいますが、実際に現地のモデルルームを訪問したうえで入札に参加する人も多い。ダイナシティのマンションは都心の駅近物件が多く、１人暮らしや２人暮らし用のマンション購入を検討されている方には魅力的」（ブランディング部）と盛況の理由を説明する。

【債権者も納得】

　オークションによる販売は、売り手にとっても魅力的。ダイナシティのように破綻したマンション業者の場合、在庫物件をどれだけ高い価格で販売できるかが債権者の大きな関心事。オークション販売であれば適切な市場価格で販売されたことが明確になるので、債権者にとっても納得のいくものとなる。

　アイディーユーにはすでに「複数の売り手から同様のオークションを行いたいとの打診がある」（同）という。

　マンション市況は相変わらず低迷して木枯らしが吹いているが、格安なネットオークション市場は一足先に春の様相を呈しているようだ。

ZAKZAK 2009/04/23

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国産水着：レーザー・レーサーに圧勝　日本選手権で威力

　今月１９日まで浜松市で開かれた競泳の日本選手権は記録ラッシュに沸いた。昨夏の北京五輪では英国のスピード社製の水着「レーザー・レーサー（ＬＲ）」を着た選手が世界記録を連発したが、今回は国産の水着を着た選手が次々と日本記録を更新。日本メーカーが巻き返してきた様相だ。【飯山太郎】

　今大会でマークされた日本記録２２個（日本新記録２０、日本タイ記録２）のうち、１７個は日本水泳連盟が契約するミズノ、デサント、アシックスの水着を着た選手が出した。内訳は▽デサント１３▽ミズノ３▽アシックス１。スピード社製ＬＲによる記録は５個だった。

　ＬＲの特徴は、着脱も困難なほど伸縮性の少ない生地で体を締め付ける点。腹部や背部といった体幹部の表面にポリウレタン製のシートを付け、水の抵抗を受けにくい体形の維持に成功した。

　デサントは２月からＬＲを意識した伸縮性の低い素材を使った新型水着の市販を開始、今回の日本選手権ではさらに改良した最新型が導入された。ただし、国際水泳連盟は２月から各社の水着の審査に入っており、デサント側は「国際水連の承認前なので機能の詳細は話せない」と、今のところ、“企業秘密”は明らかにしていない。

　業界内では、デサントの最新型は全面にラバー系素材を張ったものと見られている。国際水連は０７年から水着の表面に別の素材を張ることを認めており、水着素材を各社に提供する企業の開発担当者は「デサントの最新型は体を締め付けながら、水の抵抗の少ないラバー素材を表明に張り、高速化を図ったのではないか」と見る。

　日本水連は協賛契約を結ぶ国内３社以外の水着を日本代表選手が着ることを禁じていたが、北京五輪ではＬＲの「威力」に押され、協賛社以外の水着も許可した。デサントの競泳チーム「チームアリーナ」に所属する末永雄太選手（２４）もＬＲで北京五輪に出場した一人だ。しかし、今回はデサント社製を着用し、男子二百メートル平泳ぎで北京五輪を上回る記録をマーク。「水中で体が浮く感じがする」と好感触を口にした。

　ミズノも３月に水着の締め付け機能を強化して体幹部にポリウレタン製シートを装着する新作を発表し、薄い素材で軽量化にも成功。アシックスも動きやすさに力点を置きつつ、体幹部や脚に伸縮性の少ないポリウレタン製素材を使った水着を開発している。

　各社の新型はいずれも高価で６万円近くする水着もある。男子平泳ぎの北島康介選手（日本コカ・コーラ）を育てた平井伯昌・日本代表ヘッドコーチは「レース用も１着だけでは済まない。我々も高いなとは思うが、それでもお金を出す選手はいる」と言う。

　水着は勝敗を大きく左右する武器だ。今夏にローマで開かれる世界選手権でも、日本水連は選手の水着を「自由化」する。

---------------------------
体重：「５キロ以上減」は「増加」より高死亡率

　成人になってから体重が５キロ以上減った人は、増えた人や変化の少ない人より死亡率が高くなることが２３日、厚生労働省研究班が実施した国内９万人を対象とした調査で分かった。日本人の体重変化と死亡率の関係が明らかになったのは初めて。

　研究班は、９０年と９３年に、がんや循環器疾患になっていない４０～６９歳の男女計９万人を０５年まで追跡調査した。２０歳以降に体重が５キロ以上減った群、５キロ以上増えた群、変化が５キロ未満の群の３グループに分け、死亡率を比べた。その結果、男性は、体重減少群の死亡率が変化の少ない群の１．４４倍、女性は１．３３倍と高かった。一方、男性の体重増加群の死亡率は、変化の少ない群の０．８９倍、女性は０．９８倍と逆に低かった。調査開始時４０～４９歳だった男性は、体重減少群の死亡率が変化の少ない群の１．６１倍に達した。がんや循環器疾患による死亡率でも、男女とも体重減少群が変化の少ない群を上回った。

　また、調査開始時の肥満度のほか、喫煙や高血圧・糖尿病など生活習慣病の有無とも関係なく、いずれも体重減少群の死亡率が高かった。ダイエットによる影響は調べなかった。

　研究班の斉藤功・愛媛大准教授（公衆衛生学）は「死亡率を上げている原因は不明だが、成人以降の自然な体重減少は、健康障害が起きているシグナルの可能性がある」と話している。

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牛疫：関係国際機関が根絶宣言へ　家畜の病気では初

　牛の感染症として最近まで世界的な脅威だった牛疫について、国際獣疫事務局（ＯＩＥ）と国連食糧農業機関（ＦＡＯ）が１０年にも根絶宣言する見通しになった。根絶が実現すれば８０年に世界保健機関（ＷＨＯ）が宣言した天然痘に次ぐ成果で、家畜の病気では初。

　世界牛疫撲滅計画に関与した小澤義博・ＯＩＥ名誉顧問や複数の専門家によると、ＯＩＥとＦＡＯは９２年に計画を開始。牛疫ウイルスは変異しにくく、予防効果が高い同じワクチンを世界中で接種したほか、発生動向の監視を徹底した。その結果、最近まで大流行していた南アジアからアフリカの発生が激減、０３年のケニアからの発生報告が最後になっている。小澤氏や農林水産省などによると、計画通り１０年に根絶宣言される可能性が高いという。

　動物衛生研究所の村上洋介所長によると、日本では明治初期に現在の家畜伝染病予防法につながる法律を制定。早くから対策に取り組んだ結果、１９２０年代を最後に発生していない。

　また、現在のワクチンは英国人が開発したが、最初の予防ワクチンは１９１８年に日本人の故・蠣崎（かきざき）千晴氏が開発。さらに４１年に中村※治（じゅんじ）氏が作ったワクチンは中国や韓国、台湾などで使われ、東アジアや東南アジアの早期の終息に役立ったという。

　小澤氏は「一つの病気を地球上から無くすのは大変な作業だが、関係者の努力で牛疫は世界で２番目に撲滅されるウイルス感染症になろうとしている。その意義は大きい」と話している。【江口一】

　※はのぎへんに亨
　◇ことば「牛疫」

　牛や水牛、バファローなどの反芻（はんすう）動物が牛疫ウイルスに感染し発症する。発熱や下痢を起こし、発症後は通常１～２週間で死ぬ。効果的な治療法はない。人には感染しない。

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Russia to introduce criminal punishment for rehabilitating Nazism in former USSR
23.04.2009 Source: Pravda.Ru URL: http://english.pravda.ru/russia/politics/107444-nazism_russia-0

Russia’s State Duma is going to pass the law about the struggle against the rehabilitation on Nazism, Nazi criminals and their associates in former republics of the Soviet Union. Russian and foreign nationals may expect a prison term from three to five years in this case if they are found guilty of supporting and propagandizing Nazism.

The initiative to introduce criminal responsibility for denying the role of the USSR in the defeat of Nazism was originally voiced by the head of Russia ’s EMERCOM, Sergei Shoigu in 2009. The bill, prepared by Russia’s ruling United Russia party, will be submitted to the parliament before Victory Day, May 9, The Nezavisimaya Gazeta wrote.

Therefore, the actions of foreign governments (the Baltic States and Ukraine) that either support or justify the actions of SS veterans will fall under the influence of the Russian Penal Code. Those countries particularly defame the actions of the Soviet Army during WWII.

Sergei Shoigu said that such a law would help Russia protect “our history and the deeds of our fathers and grandfathers.”

"The presidents of several countries who deny that would not be able to come to our country unpunished, and the mayors of several towns would think twice before they decide to dismantle monuments [to Soviet soldiers]" reasoned Shoigu.

Russia’s Prosecutor General Yuri Chaika supported Shoigu in his initiative. Denying the USSR’s victory over Nazism is at least a breach of morality, Chaika said. He did not exclude a criminal responsibility for such views if they were expressed under certain circumstances.

“The victory in the Great Patriotic War is a great achievement of our whole nation. The USSR sacrificed millions of lives to achieve that victory,” the prosecutor general said.

If the law is approved, a special committee would be set up to track down adequate violations. The decisions of the committee would be considered as acts of recommendation, although state agencies would be obliged to give them a consideration. A foreigner, whom the committee finds involved in the rehabilitation of Nazism, will not be allowed to enter the Russian Federation. If such a foreign national arrives in the country, he or she will have to go on trial. The same measures would be applied against Russian citizens rehabilitating Nazism.

The authorities of the former republics of the USSR that revise the results of WWII would be punished diplomatically. A diplomatic punishment would stipulate the deportation of ambassadors and the complete termination of diplomatic relations.

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China shamelessly steals fighter jet technology from Russia
22.04.2009 Source: Pravda.Ru URL: http://english.pravda.ru/world/asia/107437-fighter_jet-0

China completes the tests of its latest fighter. Chinese engineers say that J-11BS represents the aviation of the fourth generation. Foreign experts say that the Chinese have actually stolen the idea of the fighter jet from Russia.

China’s latest J-11BS fighter was unveiled on April 10. The development of the aircraft is to be finished by the end of 2009. The serial production is to be launched in 2010.

Chinese engineers have not offered anything new. The J-11BS is a two-seated modification of the J-11B, which appeared in China as a result of an international scandal.

China purchased a batch of Su-27 SKK from Russia in 1992. The country later said that it would like to build its own fighters on the Russian license. Russia then received orders for the two-seated version of the same aircraft – Su-30 MKK.

The miracle of the Chinese aircraft-making company Shenyang Aircraft Corporation (SAC) took off in 1998 – the J-11 aircraft, which was actually a licensed product.

China ’s military administration said six years later that it no longer needed licensed fighter jets because their battling capacities did not match the country’s needs, as it was said. China had 95 new J-11 aircraft added to its arsenal; the planes virtually represented Russian fighter jets assembled in China.

However, China proved to be unable to develop the production of aircraft engines, and the country continues to purchase Russian engines for Su-27 MKK and Su-30 MKK, which supposedly do not meet China’s demands.

In February 2007, China represented J-11B, which bore a striking resemblance to Russia’s Su fighters, as US experts wrote.

China is currently working on the deck-based version of the Su-27 aircraft. The country apparently uses its previous experience and copy Russian fighters for it. Therefore, Russia refused to sell deck-based Su-33 to China in 2008.

Sergei Balmasov,
Pravda.Ru correspondent

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Content of arsenic, mercury and ticks to be limited in Russian beer
23.04.2009 Source: Pravda.Ru URL: http://english.pravda.ru/business/companies/107445-russian_beer-0

The content of toxic substances – lead, arsenic, cadmium, mercury, radioactive nuclides, caesium, pesticides and ergot – must be restricted in the Russian beer. Parasites of bread reserves – insects and ticks – must not appear in the production process. Beer must be made without the use of ethyl alcohol. Labels on the end product must provide full and true information for customers. These are a few of the new technical regulations on beer; the document was submitted to the Russian parliament, the State Duma, on Tuesday, The Vremya Novostei newspaper wrote.

The new bill is supposed to unite and systematize all existent requirements to brewing products. The new regulations will be introduced to bring Russian market regulation standards closer to international principles.

The term ‘brewing products’ includes beer and convenience foods used for the production of beer, including brewer’s malt, the wort concentrate and the malt extract.

The new regulations mention the special kind of beer made with the use of sugar-containing products, fruit, berries and the products of their processing, including flavor and aroma additives. The content of beer in special beer must not be lower than 80 percent.

The content of beer in soft drinks that are made on the base of beer – beer cocktails - must have not less than 40 percent.

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Fifth-generation fighter to be developed in joint project
20:26 | 21/ 04/ 2009

Print version

MOSCOW. (Ilya Kramnik, RIA Novosti military commentator) - The development of the fifth-generation jet fighter is one of the most widely discussed issues in Russia's military.

What's more, with its potential involvement in developing the jet fighter, India, one of Russia's long-standing partners in military technical cooperation, confirms its interest in Russia's future project.

The new jet fighter is being developed under the PAK FA (Prospective (promising) Aircraft System of the Frontline Aviation) program to replace fourth-generation models now in service in Russian and Indian air forces.

The Soviet Union launched fifth-generation fighter programs in the 1980s. By the mid-1990s, the Mikoyan Design Bureau developed the Project 1.44 warplane, also known as the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG MFI. The Sukhoi Design Bureau came up with the S-37 Berkut experimental supersonic forward swept-wing jet fighter. The S-37 aircraft was an advanced technology demonstration prototype not intended to be mass-produced as a fighter. However, due to the lack of funding, the Project 1.44 aircraft was not streamlined and never entered production either.

By the late 1990s, it became apparent that existing fifth-generation fighter projects were becoming obsolete, that their production versions would be inferior to the brand new American F-22 Raptor air superiority fighter, and that even if finalized the air force would receive such warplanes a decade too late. (U.S. secret weapon: F-22-A Raptor in action. RIA Novosti video)

As a result, in the early 2000s, the Russian Government made decision to develop an entirely new fifth-generation fighter. The Sukhoi, Mikoyan and Yakovlev Design Bureaus, all renowned for their fighters, offered several warplane versions.

The project was eventually entrusted to Sukhoi, which refers to it internally as the T-50.

Various maiden flight and supply deadlines were discussed from the very beginning. The T-50 was eventually scheduled to perform its first flight somewhere between 2008 and 2010. In late 2008, the commander of the Russian air force announced that the plane would first take off in August 2009.

Mikhail Pogosyan, head of the Sukhoi Design Bureau, confirmed the information. "The progress that has been made by now suggests that we can begin the flight tests within one year," Mr Pogosyan said. Several versions of the aircraft are being discussed, including a two-seater model, and a carrier-based aircraft.

In the summer of 2008, officials said the T-50 design had been approved and prototype aircraft blueprints sent to the Komsomolsk-on-Amur aircraft-building plant (KNAAPO) in Russia's Far East, where jet fighters will be produced. The plant is currently building three prototype T-50 fighters for future tests, due to last five to six years, while mass production will not get underway before 2015.

Although T-50 specifications have not been disclosed, it is known that prototypes and the first production aircraft will be fitted with 117S (upgraded AL-31) turbofan engines from Russian aircraft engine manufacturer Saturn. As a result, the T-50 will be a heavy fighter with a takeoff weight of over 30 metric tons and will have the same dimensions as the well-known Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker. The Tikhomirov Institute of Instrument Design, which had developed the Irbis radar for the Su-35BM Flanker, is now working on the T-50 radar. The new fighter's radar and fire-control system will be designs on the basis of the Su-35BM's systems.

India is reportedly more interested in the two-seater version, while Russia, with its developed ground and air fight control system, plans to concentrate on the one-seater fighter. There is a possibility that the Indian version of the Russian fighter will be lighter and smaller, and thus cheaper.

There have been reports in the past few months about the new fighter's exterior design. Judging by photographs of the prototype available online, the T-50 will resemble the American F-22, a fact easily explained by similar parameters on their technical specifications. However, it is yet undecided whether the model will eventually be used as a prototype.

As of now, one can only make general conclusions on what kind of a machine it will be, based on the known parameters of their technical specifications. The new fighter should be:

- multifunctional - capable of successfully hitting air, ground and water targets alike, including small and moving ones, in any weather or time of the day, against an enemy equipped with high-precision weapons;

- super-maneuverable - capable of performing controlled flight at low velocity and large angle of attack;

- largely undetectable by optical, infrared or radio radars; and

- capable of taking off and landing on short runways.

However, the term "fifth-generation" covers more than just the fighters. It also embodies a whole range of equipment to ensure advanced combat capabilities, including weapons, radio-electronic equipment, ground- and air-based supply and control systems.

These elements are also under development, although not all projects are proceeding with equal speed and success. Nevertheless, they are all crucial to the program as a whole. Without them, the new fighter will remain a very expensive toy incapable of boosting the combat capabilities of the air force.

The opinions expressed in this article are the author's and do not necessarily represent those of RIA Novosti.

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名古屋が首位転落　港の輸出額　自動車不振で横浜港に抜かれる
2009.4.23 17:00

　名古屋税関が２３日発表した３月の名古屋港の貿易概況（速報）によると、輸出額は前年同月比５８・０％減の４３９６億円だった。単月の輸出額としては横浜港（４６５３億円）に抜かれ、平成１２年３月以来、９年ぶりに全国の海港の１位から２位に転落した。

　名古屋港は、トヨタ自動車の自動車や関連メーカーの自動車部品などを輸出する玄関口となっており、世界的な景気低迷の影響を大きく受けた格好だ。輸出額は昨年８月から８カ月連続で前年割れ。横浜港の３月の輸出額は４３・７％減と、名古屋港に比べると下落幅が小さかった。

　名古屋港の輸入額は原油価格などの下落で４６・６％減の２５０３億円だった。