USDA Forecasts Lower Food Inflation Rates for 2012

Thanks to US Foods for sharing this data with us.

UI Tax Rates Decrease for 2012

The Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) announced the average Unemployment Insurance (UI) tax rate for all employers will be 1.96 percent for calendar year 2012, down from 2.03 percent in CY 2011. The average tax rate for experience-related employers is 1.87 percent for CY 2012, which is down from 1.96 percent in 2011. The standard minimum US tax rate paied by Texas employers in CY 2012 will be 0.61 percent, which is down from 0.78 percent in CY 2011.

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US Supreme Court To Rule on Health Care Law

The news has been well-covered, but in case you missed it, the U.S. Supreme Court Monday announced it will take up four legal questions at the heart of the 2010 health care reform law:

(1) the constitutionality of the "individual mandate" (i.e., whether the federal government has the right to force all Americans to either obtain health insurance or pay a penalty,

(2) if the high court deems the individual mandate unconstitutional, whether that part of the law is “severable” from other parts of the law – that is, whether some or all of the law must fall too,

(3) whether the federal Anti-Injunction Act bars some or all of the legal challenges to the individual mandate until after 2014, when penalties have been paid, and

(4) the constitutionality of expanding the Medicaid program.

NRA is watching closely, and continues to file extensive regulatory comments in the meantime as federal agencies propose their plans to implement the law.

National Restaurant Association Supports Tax Reform

Effectively reforming the U.S. tax code will make American businesses more competitive and increase opportunities for job growth, the National Restaurant Association told members of the Senate and House of Representatives in a letter dated Oct. 12.

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Restaurant Owners Will See Savings as Fed Caps Swipe Fees

The Durbin Amendment, which was  included in last year's enacted Dodd-Frank Financial Services Reform law, gave the fed authority to establish interchange fees on debit card transactions that are "reasonable and proportional" to the costs of processing the transaction.

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NLRB Delays Poster Requirement

The National Labor Relations Board announced that it is pushing back the date by which employers are required to post the new poster outlining employees’ right to organize and bargain collectively. January 31, 2012 is the new effective date.

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