Fact: The pharmaceutical industry pays the lowest effective tax rate in 2022 at 11.6%, with some companies like Pfizer and Abbvie paying even lower rates.
Scotland’s leader Humza Yousaf resigned, putting the Scottish National Party’s governance at risk and hindering their independence aspirations from Britain. The SNP’s dominance has lessened, and Yousaf failed to gather enough support to survive confidence votes, leading to a leadership contest within the party. If no new first minister is appointed within 28 days, a new election will be called.
Fact: £95.2 billion was collected in business taxes from April 2023 to March 2024.
The government received over ₹19.58 lakh crore through direct taxes in fiscal year 2023-24, exceeding both budget estimates and revised estimates.
Donald Trump held a rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin, where some of his supporters camped out overnight in their cars to see him. Trump’s rallies are a key feature of his campaign, designed to create an emotional experience for his base and attract new supporters. The rallies are meticulously planned and Trump is involved in every detail, including the music. Attendees register with the campaign to attend the rallies, which are also used to collect data, attract media coverage, and recruit volunteers. The rallies are held in battleground states like Wisconsin, where Trump narrowly lost to Biden in 2020. The events are carefully stagecrafted to entertain the crowd and reinforce Trump’s message that the country needs to be fixed. During the rally, Trump repeated false claims about the 2020 election being stolen and made promises about deportations and building a wall. The speech had a religious tone and included pledges of loyalty and protection between Trump and his supporters. The rally ended with Trump exiting the stage to an R&B song.
India’s two main political parties are making promises to improve the lives of LGBTQ+ people in the upcoming general election. However, activists feel that both parties are avoiding the key issue of same-sex marriage. The ruling BJP opposes same-sex marriage and has pledged more support for transgender rights, while the opposition Congress party plans to recognize same-sex civil unions. LGBTQ+ activists are disappointed with these promises, calling them “lip service.” Discrimination and abuse against LGBTQ+ individuals, especially trans people, are still prevalent in India. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has the most LGBTQ-friendly manifesto, but all parties fall short of proposing marriage equality. LGBTQ+ activists emphasize the need for greater inclusion and protection for marginalized communities in India.
The Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) promised to create jobs, boost infrastructure, and expand welfare programs if it wins a third term in the upcoming elections. The election will be held in seven stages until June 1, with results expected on June 4. Unemployment, inflation, and rural distress are major concerns despite strong economic growth, and Modi’s focus is on addressing these challenges. The manifesto, titled ‘Modi’s Guarantee,’ aims to create jobs in various sectors and expand welfare programs such as free health insurance and subsidized cooking gas connections. Modi emphasized the importance of improving the quality of life and creating opportunities for India’s youth.
India’s ruling party credits Prime Minister Narendra Modi for stopping the Russia-Ukraine war two years ago to rescue and repatriate nearly 20,000 stranded Indian students. The video shared by Modi on YouTube has gained nearly 650,000 views. Foreign policy has become a key focus in the upcoming general election, with Modi’s global stature being a significant factor.
Simon Harris became Ireland’s youngest ever prime minister on Tuesday. He started his political career at a young age, being described as a “well-known local activist” at 16 years old. He has a strong work ethic and attention to detail, and is known for his involvement in politics to support his autistic brother. Harris is facing the challenge of regaining support for his party and may need to form coalitions with independent candidates. Despite pressure to move Fine Gael towards a more center-right position, Harris is proud of the social progress made in Ireland and is unlikely to make a significant shift in ideology.
Fact: The UK Chancellor of the Exchequer proposed changes to the taxation of non-domiciled individuals, with effect from 6th April 2025, shifting to a regime based on residence where all UK residents will pay UK tax on foreign income and gains following four years of residency.