Bills of exchange and bankers' documentary credits are the fundamental financial instruments and mechanism of settlement for international trading transactions. Bills of Exchange and Bankers' Documentary Credits, 4th Edition provides a highly readable, yet in-depth account of the law and practice relating to bills of exchange, cheques and bankers documentary credits. The authors explain how the Bills of Exchange and other instruments work in practice, drawing particular attention to the problems which are likely to arise and how best to resolve them. Furthermore, because the parties to financial transactions are often based in different countries, it deals with jurisdiction and choice of law to enable you to make the most informed and profitable choices.

Inspired by the Consumer Credit Act 2006, this detailed work offers practical guidance on the legislation. The scope and impact of the regulation is undergoing fundamental change; for example, financial limits on regulation are being partially removed, the OFT are given the power to fine licensees, an Ombudsman scheme is being introduced and agreements can be reopened where the relationship arising is held to be unfair. This book addresses topics of practical concern and examines the areas most relevant to practitioners drafting, securitising or seeking to defend claims under credit or hire agreements. In particular, the book focuses on the outstanding problems and issues arising from the application of the Consumer Credit Act. In-depth commentary is provided by an expert author team who have appeared in many recent cases where enforceability of rights under credit and hire agreements has been in issue.

This engaging and accessible book is a must-read for every taxpayer, young and old. It explores the many forms of taxation; how taxes are created, collected, and spent; and why certain aspects of taxation are so controversial. "In this world, nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes." Benjamin Franklin wrote this now-famous quote more than 200 years ago, and taxation remains just as important (and inevitable) today as then. Taxes are a fact of life for almost everyone, and the public goods and services they pay for are enjoyed by all citizens. While taxes are undeniably necessary, the specifics of what should be taxed, who should pay taxes, and at what rate remain hotly debated by economists, government officials, and regular citizens. The first in Greenwood's new Student Guides to Business and Economics series, Taxation gives readers an in-depth yet reader-friendly look at one of economics' foundational concepts. Using simple language and relevant real-world examples, the book explores the different forms of taxation, the necessary components of any tax, how taxes are created and collected, and much more. It also highlights contemporary controversies related to taxation, including whether or not "sin taxes" actually discourage unwanted behaviors like smoking and how best to simplify the tax filing process. Provides a concise and easy-to-read overview of a broad and foundational topic in economics Demonstrates to readers why taxes are important and helps them better understand how tax revenue is spent for the public good Includes a Questions for Further Discussion section designed to stimulate classroom discussion and encour-age critical thinking Offers an at-a-glance chronology of events related to the history of taxation, allowing readers to trace the evo-lution of ideas and practices related to taxation through history

This book contains, in a brief form, author's views a to the conduct of the principal strategical and tactical operations of war, and will be found to be a short and convenient introduction to a deeper study of the rules which should underlie the direction of the ever-varying incidents of modern fighting.

Michael Collins was a pivotal figure in the Irish struggle for independence and his legacy has resonated ever since. Whilst Collins' role as a guerrilla leader and intelligence operative is well documented, his actions as the clandestine Irish government Minister of Finance have been less studied. The book analyses how funds were raised and transferred in order that the IRA could initiate and sustain the military struggle, and lay the financial foundations of an Irish state. Nicholas Ridley examines the legacy of these actions by comparing Collins' modus operandi for raising and transferring clandestine funds to those of more modern groups engaged in political violence, as well as the laying of foundations for Irish financial and fiscal regulation.

Max Hall offers a thoroughly revised and updated edition of his classic handbook on the evolution and structure of UK banking supervision. He examines the major developments at the national and international level which have transformed the conduct of banking supervision in this country. New issues explored in depth include: * the collapse of BCCI * the collapse of Barings and its impact on domestic policy * the Arthur Andersen review * the creation of the Financial Services Authority * reforms of the famous Basle Concordat and capital accord * implementation of the European Commission's Single Market programme for financial services This book will prove indispensable to those concerned with the evolution and conduct of domestic supervisory policy in the area of banking.

This book provides an in-depth analysis of 4 economically significant Asian jurisdictions: Mainland China, India, Hong Kong and Singapore. These jurisdictions have recently either reformed - or are considering reforming - their corporate restructuring laws to promote regimes conducive to restructuring financially distressed, but otherwise economically viable, companies. Mainland China, India, Hong Kong and Singapore continue to adhere to a framework that requires the court's final approval but draw references from Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code 1978 in the United States and/or the schemes of arrangement in the United Kingdom. However, the institutional and market structures are very different in Asia; in particular, Asia has a far higher concentration in shareholdings among listed firms, including holdings by families and the state, and a different composition of creditors. The book explains how, notwithstanding the legal transplantation, corporate restructuring laws in these Asian jurisdictions have adapted and evolved due to the frictions in shareholder-creditor and creditor-creditor relationships, and the role of the state in resolving non-performing loans and financial distress of state-owned enterprises which are listed, or which issue public debt. The study argues that any reforms must go beyond professionalising the insolvency professionals and the judiciary but must be designed to address fundamental issues of corporate governance, bank regulation and enforcing non-bankruptcy rules. It offers invaluable insights for academics and policy makers alike.

Fiscal reforms have been an integral and essential component of the structural adjustment programmes implemented in the least developed countries (LDCs) since the 1980s. The need for fiscal reform in the LDCs was motivated by the accumulation of unsustainable fiscal deficits, constraints on the availability of external finance, the adverse impact of distortionary tax systems on economic efficiency and deficiencies in public administration. Fiscal reform in the LDCs encompassed deficit reduction, the restructuring of the tax system, and the reform of public administration and public expenditures.The empirical research in this volume provides an analysis of the experience of the fiscal reforms carried out since the early 1980s in four different LDCs - Bangladesh, The Gambia, Malawi and the United Republic of Tanzania. The case studies examine the nature and budgetary impact of the fiscal reforms in these countries, assess the extent to which reforms have achieved their objectives and discuss the major obstacles to the success of fiscal reform. The empirical studies are supplemented by a chapter outlining the contribution which economic theory can make to the design of optimal tax and expenditure systems in developing countries and to the implementation of fiscal reforms. An overview chapter, which also serves as an introduction to the volume, discusses the reasons why LDCs have embarked on fiscal reforms, summarizes the salient findings of the country case studies and assesses the lessons which can be learnt from these empirical studies.

Information about Islamic finance in European countries is usually provided by professional-style reports, offering practical data on implementation of standardized products. However, precise developments about material legal provisions applicable to contracts and their actual legal regime are not often detailed. In order to fill this gap, 15 researchers from across Europe contributed to this project. They describe the state of actual Islamic finance in 10 European countries, as well as applicable EU law. By combining legal analysis with statistical description of existing practices and social demand, this book provides an exhaustive account of the current potential of Islamic finance in Europe.

This book provides a comprehensive collection of Cases and Materials On Marine Insurance Law. The sources included here are not always readily accessible. Each chapter is introduced with a brief resume of the general principles,before the facts of each case are summarised and the extracts of the relevant parts of judgments reproduced. The significance of the judicial extracts, the statutory materials and standard terms are then discussed with particular emphasis on important and problematical areas of the law.This book will be indispensable not only to postgraduate students of law, in-house lawyers, insurance brokers and claims adjusters, but also to students of maritime studies, legal practitioners and a wide range of professionals within the shipping industry who may wish to have at hand a convenient source of information. Whilst the book is a companion to the authors The Law of Marine Insurance, it is also structured to stand as a marine insurance text in its own right.

Financial Regulation presents an important restatement of the purposes and objectives of financial regulation. The authors provide details and data on the scale, nature and costs of regulatory problems around the world, and look at what sort of countries and sectors require special attention and policies. Key topics covered include: * the need to recast the form of regulation * incentive structures for financial regulation * proportionality * new techniques for risk management * regulation in emerging countries * crisis management * prospects for financial regulation in the future.

This book examines the transgressions of the credit rating agencies before, during and after the recent financial crisis. It proposes that by restricting the agencies' ability to offer ancillary services there stands the opportunity to limit, in an achievable and practical manner, the potentially negative effect that the Big Three rating agencies - Standard & Poor's, Moody's and Fitch - may have upon the financial sector and society moreover. The book contains an extensive and in-depth discussion about how the agencies ascended to their current position, why they were able to do so and ultimately their behaviour once their position was cemented. This work offers a new framework for the reader to follow, suggesting that investors, issuers and the state have a 'desired' version of the agencies in their thinking and operate upon that basis when, in fact, those imagined agencies do not exist, as demonstrated by the 'actual' conduct of the agencies. The book primarily aims to uncover this divergence and reveal the 'real' credit rating agencies, and then on that basis propose a real and potentially achievable reform to limit the negative effects that result from poor performance in this Industry. It addresses the topics with regard to financial regulation and the financial crisis, and will be of interest to legal scholars interested in the intersection between business and he law as well as researchers, academics, policymakers, industry and professional associations and students in the fields of corporate law, banking and finance law, financial regulation, corporate governance and corporate finance.

This study explores the formation of the European Union's tax policy and asks why member states did not raise objections to it. Firstly, it examines the "Europeanization" of domestic tax policy in Italy and the UK, asking how domestic policy has changed and what is meant by "Europeanization". Secondly it puts the European Union tax policy in the wider context of tax globalization. Will the liberalization of capital movement, tax havens and the flexibility of multinationals in managing their taxable incomes wreck the European Union's fragile tax policies? In addressing these issues the study finds that knowledge is one of the most important resources in the European corporate tax process. It highlights the political problems raised by the search for rules, principles and appropriate levels of tax co-ordination and concludes that the European Union should re-consider its tax policy with new arguments.

The 2008 financial crisis has become one of the defining features of the twenty first century's first decade. The series of events which unfolded in the aftermath of the crisis has exposed major structural flaws in many of the financial systems around the globe, triggering a global call for legal and regulatory reforms to address the problems that have been uncovered. This book deals with a neglected angle of the 2008 financial crisis looking in-depth at the implicit effects of the 2008 crisis on the UK financial market. The book considers new trends in finance which have emerged since the crisis as well as the challenges faced by some older practices in the UK financial markets. After providing a reflective account of the history of law and creditors in the UK the book investigates the proliferation of certain forms of financing that have recently become very visible parts of the UK financial market's structure, such as high cost short term lending and peer to peer lending. It provides legal and economic accounts of these forms of alternative lending, charting their developments, current status and critically assesses their impact on the UK financial market. Also examined are the ongoing funding difficulties faced by Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and the suitability of the UK current legal framework to support these institutions. The book goes on to look at the viability and safety of some other post crisis trends such as banks use of Contingent Convertible Bonds (CoCos) to improve their resilience.

Retail Depositor and Retail Investor Protection under EU Law offers an original perspective on EU financial law in the area of retail investor protection, examining the status of protection awarded by EU law to retail depositors and retail investors in the event of financial institution failure. The analysis of relevant EU law is on the basis of effectiveness and has been elaborated in two levels of comparison. The first comparative approach examines relevant EU law both externally and internally: externally, vis-a-vis relevant international initiatives and developments in the area of financial law, as the latter affect the features and evolution of EU law, and internally by examining relevant instruments of EU law with regard to each other as to their normative structure and content. The second comparative approach also examines the status of retail depositors in relation to that of retail investors under EU law, in the event of financial institution failure, and the relevant legal consequences thereof.

This book offers a simplified and straightforward introduction to the basics of Nigerian taxation. While discussing various laws, practices and procedures, it also addresses the latest amendments to Nigerian tax laws. The book begins by discussing the central issue of Islamic taxation and its legality under Nigerian law. Divided into four main sections, the book was designed for simplicity, and uses language that is accessible for all tax stakeholders.

The debate regarding the increased funding of higher education has focused on specific issues - such as whether higher education should be financed through general taxation and the implications of collecting fees later in life through the use of a tax surcharge - while largely ignoring the important economic interdependencies which affect them.In The Economics of Higher Education, John Creedy explores the economic foundations of the debate and focuses attention on the process of government decision-making including the precise way that these decisions are affected by the possible external effects of higher education. This book addresses the key issues in the debate using a fully specified model which allows for dispersion of abilities, the individual's decision to invest in higher education and the government's choice of higher education grant, along with the government's budget constraint. This model is also used to consider the effects of alternative tax and grant systems on the distribution of lifetime income within a cohort of individuals, and is extended to allow for the general equilibrium effects of other social transfers to the low paid, along with means testing of grants. The non-technical introduction discusses the author's approach, the framework of analysis and the conclusions which he has reached. As a rigorous analytical contribution to a major public policy debate, this book will be welcomed by policymakers and educationalists, as well as by teachers and researchers in the field of public economics.

A heavily debated topic, the evolution of shareholders' duties risks the transformation of the very concept of shareholder primacy, crucially associated with shareholder rights. Offering a distinctive and comprehensive examination of both current and forthcoming enforcement mechanisms in the area of shareholder duties, this timely book provides an exhaustive analysis of the many issues related to these mechanisms, and considers the ongoing challenges surrounding their implementation. Enforcing Shareholders' Duties is unique in critically challenging the revised Shareholder Rights Directive as well as other legal provisions. Adopting a holistic view of the possible enforcement issues shareholders may face in company law, it argues for a measured approach in the design of such enforcement mechanisms and for a careful consideration of the effects of a legal interventionist approach. Astute and engaging chapters provide arguments and recommendations for future regulatory initiatives aimed at ensuring shareholders will remain incentivised to invest in companies, whilst still assuming their responsibilities. Students and researchers with an interest in financial and corporate law, particularly from a policy and governance angle, will find this book an important resource. Its focus on the emerging agenda surrounding the enforcement of shareholders' duties ensure it is also highly relevant for legislators, policymakers, and practitioners. Contributors include: A. Anand, H.S. Birkmose, J. Borg-Barthet, I.H.-Y. Chiu, M. Gargantini, E. Howell, C. Malberti, M. Neville, J. Payne, C. Puska

This book is one of the first to link company law to the law of succession by concentrating on family businesses. It shows that, to understand the legal framework underlying the daily operations of family businesses, one needs legal analysis, empirical data, psychological and sociological knowledge. The book works on the premise that, since many businesses have been founded by families, practitioners need to develop an understanding of the legal background of such businesses and build up experience to be able to create contracts, trusts, foundations and other legal mechanisms to give shape to systems and procedures for the transfer of shares and control within the family. Comparing the national legal order, techniques, and mechanisms in a range of countries, the book examines parallel developments in these fields of law across the world. Finally, it demonstrates the room for companies, shareholders and the members of a family to develop individual solutions within the legal framework for transferring businesses and shares to the next generation.

Michael Collins was a pivotal figure in the Irish struggle for independence and his legacy has resonated ever since. Whilst Collins' role as a guerrilla leader and intelligence operative is well documented, his actions as the clandestine Irish government Minister of Finance have been less studied. The book analyses how funds were raised and transferred in order that the IRA could initiate and sustain the military struggle, and lay the financial foundations of an Irish state. Nicholas Ridley examines the legacy of these actions by comparing Collins' modus operandi for raising and transferring clandestine funds to those of more modern groups engaged in political violence, as well as the laying of foundations for Irish financial and fiscal regulation.

First published in 1997. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor and Francis, an informa company.

Following the recent global financial crisis there is a growing interest in alternative finance - and microfinance in particular - as new instruments for providing financial services in a socially responsible way or as an alternative to traditional banking. Nonetheless, correspondingly there is also a lack of clarity about how to regulate alternative financial methods particularly in light of the financial crisis' lessons on regulatory failure and shadow banking's risks. This book considers microfinance from a legal and regulatory perspective. Microfinance is the provision of a wide range of financial services, particularly credit but also remittances, savings, to low-income people or financially excluded people. It combines a business structure with social inspiration, often resorts to technological innovations to lower costs (Fintech: e.g. crowdfunding and mobile banking) and merges with traditional local experiences (e.g. financial cooperatives and Islamic finance), this further complicating the regulatory picture. The book describes some of the unique dimensions of microfinance and the difficulties that this can cause for regulators, through a comparative analysis of selected European Union (EU) countries' regimes. The focus is in fact on the EU legal framework, with some references to certain developing world experiences where relevant. The book assesses the impact and validity of current financial regulation principles and rules, in light of the most recent developments and trends in financial regulation in the wake of the financial crisis and compares microfinance with traditional banking. The book puts forward policy recommendations for regulators and policy makers to help address the challenges and opportunities offered by microfinance.

This title was first published in 2003. This book provides a much-needed comprehensive and up-to-date treatise on financial distress modelling. Since many of the challenges facing researchers of financial distress can only be addressed by a totally new research design and modelling methodology, this book concentrates on extending the potential for bankruptcy analysis from single-equation modelling to multi-equation analysis. Essentially, the work provides an innovative new approach by comparing each firm with itself over time rather than testing specific hypotheses or improving predictive and classificatory accuracy. Added to this new design, a whole new methodology - or way of modelling the process - is applied in the form of a family of models of which the traditional single equation logit or MDA models is just a special case. Preliminary two-equation and three-equation models are presented and tested in the final chapters as a taste of things to come. The groundwork for a full treatise on these sorts of multi-equation systems is laid for further study - this family of models could be used as a basis for more specific applications to different industries and to test hypotheses concerning influential variables to bankruptcy risk.