Business Issues

Raw Materials For Refractory Industry Has Risen Up

The internal demand in China and its imposition of higher export taxes on magnesium oxide and bauxite, two sensitive materials needed by factories in their manufacture of refractory products. Industry sources has said, that the higher taxes slapped on these products would directly affect the steel, cement and ferro-alloy sectors, which rely mostly on refractory materials to operate their plants.

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Reforms In Credit Card Industry Pushed

A plan to regulate of what is called an unfair or deceptive billing practices by credit card companies is in the offing. The US Office of Thrift Supervision (OTS) who has approved the plan, made a proposal that would generally prohibit credit card companies from increasing the annual percentage rates on a customer’s outstanding balance it has said in a statement.

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Lobbying For Favorable Policies – A Multi Billion Dollar Industry

A study from a watchdog group on Washington lobbying, corporations, unions and other interests spent a record setting 2.79 billion US dollars in 2007. The Center for Responsive Politics said spending in 2007 eclipsed the previous record in 2006 by 200 million dollars with health care interests, wall street, the real estate industry and insurers are the biggest spenders.

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