And would correcting these inefficiencies reduce income and wealth inequality? Read Consumer Law As Tax Alternative by Rory Van Loo to try to find out. Here's the abstract: The law and economics paradigm has traditionally emphasized tax and transfer as the best way to achieve distributional goals. This Article explores an alternative. Well-designed consumer laws—defined as the […]
Author Archives: Brian Wolfman
That's the title of this opinion piece in the American Banker by William D. Gunter, former U.S. congressman and a former Florida state treasurer and insurance commissioner.
Take a look at the complaint in Communications Workers of America v. T-Mobile US, Inc., et al., No. 17-cv-07232 (N.D. Cal.). It's a plaintiffs' class action naming a defendant class of hundreds of companies that have allegedly used recruitment ads on Facebook to target young people and thus discriminate against older potential job applicants. Here's the first […]
Tax reform was going to be tax simplification. Tax returns on post cards. Right. Read this piece by John Cassidy explaining that besides its "unfairness" and "corrupt nature," [w]hat isn’t yet fully appreciated" about the Trump tax legislation is how porous and potentially unstable the rest of the tax code will be after the bill is passed. […]
Microsoft says it is "eliminating a requirement that employees pursue sexual harassment and gender bias claims through arbitration instead of in court, after revelations this year of improper behavior across technology, entertainment and other industries." The company is also "supporting a proposed federal law that would widely ban [forced arbitration] agreements." That's fantastic news; it truly is. Other businesses […]
In early October of this year, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau finalized its payday loan rule. In a press release, the agency described the rule's benefits this way: The CFPB rule aims to stop debt traps by putting in place strong ability-to-repay protections. These protections apply to loans that require consumers to repay all or most of […]
Is this coincidence or self-dealing by our despicable president? It's actually hard to know. David Sirota and Josh Keefe report that Republican congressional leaders and real estate moguls could be personally enriched by a real-estate-related provision GOP lawmakers slipped into the final tax bill released Friday evening, according to experts interviewed by International Business Times. The […]
Allison recently posted about the Trump administration's decision to rescind a Department of Transportation proposal requiring airlines to disclose baggage fees at the start of a ticket purchase. Two things that consumers can do. First, Kayak has what looks like a comprehensive chart of all fees — not just bag fees — for all airlines. Second, complain to DOT about the […]
Read this article on the topic by Kate Berry. The Hill has coverage too. Update: Read the AG's letter.
Yesterday, in Rodriguez-Depena v. Parts Authority, Inc., the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit held that wage-and-hour claims under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) can be forced into binding arbitration under a pre-dispute arbitration agreement. The court rejected the argument that the FLSA guarantees workers access to the courts and thus overrides pre-dispute arbitration […]