A big quake may be headed towards California. No, it is not the 7.5 magnitude earthquake that Californians have been worried about. This has only a 31 percent chance of happening. And that too from now to 30 years. Of a higher probability is the quake-causing reforms United States (US) President Joe Biden is sending the way of Big Tech in northern California.The tech giants are surely going to feel the earth move under their feet.
It is no secret that the COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected some of the major industries such as the tourism sector, aviation and even the real estate market. Preventive measures such as citywide lockdowns and travel curbs have been imposed by numerous countries in order to break the chain of infection.
When the Coalition of Hope (Pakatan Harapan) unveiled its first ever budget as Malaysia’s new ruling coalition, one of the key points that caught the attention of Malaysians was the taxing of imported services, including online services.In November 2018 – when Malaysia’s 2019 budget was tabled – the country’s Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng revealed that the government would impose and remit a tax on online services such as software, music, video and digital advertising beginning January 2020.
Last week, Malaysia’s Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng tabled the country’s 2019 Budget. Being the first budget under a new government led by the Alliance of Hope (Pakatan Harapan), there were obviously numerous key points to look out for. One of those key points is the taxing of services imported into the country, which includes online services. The service tax, according to Lim, will be imposed in phases beginning with services imported by businesses in January, next year.
Southeast Asia is catching the video streaming bug as video streaming services proliferate in the region. Gone are the days where people would go to video or DVD rental shops to get the latest movies. Even traditional TV is on the wane now as video streaming allows users to choose whatever they want to watch anytime as opposed to having to wait for a favourite programme to air at its allocated time slot.
