Finance & Economics | WPN World People News

U.S. congressional leaders have reached a deal on a $1.3 trillion spending bill as a budget deadline looms.

Lawmakers now have until midnight Friday to approve it and prevent the year's third government shutdown. Passage of the massive bipartisan effort seems certain.

On March 21, the World Bank signaled strong support for Nepal’s ambitious transition to federalism when its Board of Executive Directors approved a $200 million credit to improve public financial management.

The U.S. and the European Union are set to engage in a new round of talks to resolve trade disputes, including those over U.S.-proposed tariffs on steel and aluminum imports.

EU gas market rules must apply to all pipelines entering or leaving the EU, with strictly limited exceptions, Energy Committee MEPs agreed on Wednesday.

On March 21th, the Zimbabwe Reconstruction Fund (ZIMREF) received an additional £3 million ($4.2 million) from the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) to help strengthen the country’s policy frameworks and delivery systems. The funds are in addition to the initial DFID contribution of £6 million ($8.4 million) to the Trust Fund in 2015.

The Low Incomes Tax Reform Group (LITRG) is calling on couples to declare money held in joint accounts otherwise they might face penalties for non-disclosure, and has suggested to HMRC ways they can prevent people falling unwittingly into non-compliance in the first place.

Commenting on Mar 19 UK - EU conditional agreement on terms for a transition period after Brexit, Alan McLintock, Chair of CIOT’s Indirect Taxes Sub-committee, said:
“UK and European Union business will welcome the continuity proposed in the agreement (subject to the formal signing happening as expected). It suggests that for most businesses it will be business as usual in cross border trade after March 2019.

Avoiding taxes by hiding money or assets in unreported offshore accounts remains on the IRS “Dirty Dozen” tax scams for 2018, the agency said on Mar 20, 2018.

The World Bank Office in Romania and the District 5 City Hall of the Municipality of Bucharest, on March 20th, signed a reimbursable advisory service (RAS) agreement – a form of technical assistance - to support the implementation of urban development solutions that will boost growth and improve the quality of life in District 5.

An International Monetary Fund (IMF) staff mission led by Amadou Sy visited Victoria during March 7‒20, 2018, to conduct discussions on the first review under the Policy Coordination Instrument (PCI).