Nintendo Satoru Iwata

by James Plafke | 2:27 pm, January 27th, 2012

She loved to play bridge, shop and take trips with friends. She also loved music and dancing, and she loved her grandchildren and enjoyed spending time with them.

She will always be remembered as being a very classy lady and will be dearly missed by all who knew her.

She leaves to cherish her loving memory, her husband, Wilburn Allen; grandchildren, John, Brian Jr., Leigh Ann and Amy; and 10 great-grandchildren.

She was predeceased by her first husband, Lafayette Allendorfer; daughter, Fayette Roberta Berg; son, Brian Lee Allendorfer; and brother, Lee Notero.

The family would like to extend a special thank you to the staff at Claire Bridge and Hope Hospice for all of the wonderful care they provided during her final days.

Visitation will be held Thursday, Feb. 1, from 2-3 pm with funeral services beginning at 3 pm at Gendron Funeral amp; Cremation Services.

Funeral arrangements under the direction of Gendron Funeral amp; Cremation Services Inc., 4224 Cleveland Ave, Suite 1, Fort Myers. Online condolences may be made at: www.gendronfuneralhome.com.

The best car of the era, it seems, is one that got you from place to place reliably, cost little to own or maintain and could darken the driveway until such time as its owner needed to replace it or could afford better. An inexpensive car more than a decade old was considered a jalopy half a century ago, a hoopty in more recent decades and a beater in certain circles, but is known as just the car in American homes today.

Automotive data service Polk revealed last month that the average age of cars and light trucks on US roads is 10.8 years. Thats up from 8.9 years a decade ago and 9.8 as recently as 2007. New car sales slumped during the 2008 and 2009 recession years as Americas drivers squeezed as much mileage out of their old cars as possible rather than risking a large investment.

According to Manheim Consultings Used Vehicle Value Index, used car prices are just 1.6% off their highest level since the index was introduced in 1995. Dwindling new car supply and used car lots already depleted of 2- and 3-year-old vehicles by the recession have driven prices up 0.6% from last January as sales increased 5% in 2011 and more than 10% from 2010.

Thats making a lot of formerly undesirable older vehicles a lot more popular. Manheim found that the average selling price for a compact car is 5.1% higher than it was a year ago. If owners are looking to sell their old Toyota(TM) Camry, Honda(HMC) Accord or Ford(F) Fusion, Manheim says theyll make 4.7% more on the deal than they would have last January. Even used pickups and vans have benefited as demand accelerated 0.7% and 2.7% respectively within the past year. Just about the only vehicles not speeding off the lots are fuel-inefficient SUVs. Their value has dropped 4.8% year over year as smaller crossovers sip their gasoline more slowly.

While Polk says American car buyers are regaining their confidence, theyre also learning the value of an older, cheaper, equally reliable vehicle. Considering the advanced age of the average American car, we asked the folks at Kelley Blue Book to see what decade-old models should factor into car buyers decision-making this year. They came back with an extremely flush selection of 20 vehicles.

The average age of vehicles on the road today has been increasing not only due to improvements in the quality of vehicles produced in the last 10 years but it has also been driven up by the sharp reduction in new vehicles sales since 2009 reducing used vehicle supply, says Alec Gutierrez, Kelley Blue Book senior market analyst. Since we expect the supply of used vehicles to remain limited through at least 2012, these vehicles are likely to depreciate only minimally as time goes on.

The list focuses on model year 2002 used vehicles with a Kelley Blue Book Private Party Value of less than $10,000. The vehicles listed are assumed to be in good condition with approximately 118,000 miles, as per Kelley Blue Books mileage depreciation schedules. The list was further reduced by focusing only on those vehicles KBB expects to require minimal maintenance based on their proven reputation for reliability.

To eliminate certain redundancies, weve pared that list to 10 decade-old cars worth considering before buying new. They may have some wear on the tires, but consensus is that each of the cars on the list should be able to hit or break 200,000 miles with a minimal amount of maintenance:

We figure based on our driving experience, that we are saving about three-and-a-half tonnes a year of CO2 emissions, said Bill Clendinning. In the three-and-a-half months that weve had it, I figure that weve saved $430 just in fuel, compared to [our other car, which is a hybrid Toyota Prius].

The couple decided on a four-year lease for the red hatchback car that seats five people and has plenty of room for their four-year-old daughter, Tara. The lease payments are not cheap: after a $5,000 Clean Energy Vehicle rebate, theyre still paying $820 a month for the $44,020 vehicle.

The basic equation is: although youre paying more upfront for the vehicle, your lifetime savings is quite significant, Clendinning said.

For one thing, because the car is electric, theyre not shelling out for gas, or oil changes, or tune-ups, which also add up.

Despite the potential long-term savings, very few Canadians – less than a fraction of one per cent – have decided to buy an electric vehicle, said Brian Murphy, a senior manager at JD Power and Associates.

I think the ball is in the consumers court as far as what happens next with electric vehicles, he said. I think inherently theyre wonderful and it would be great to live in a zeroemission world, but I think its going to take a while.

Even with hybrid vehicles such as the Toyota Prius that have been around more than a decade, consumer uptake has been slow, Murphy said.

The Clendinnings chose to lease the Leaf because they think electric vehicle technology will improve a lot in four years time, and that the prices will come down. There is some controversy about how much it will cost to replace a Leaf battery when it does wear out: Nissans US website says an estimated cost cannot be provided and asks customers to sign up for updates. With the lease, Clendinning is not concerned about the life of the lithium-ion battery, which is under warranty for eight years or 160,000 kilometres.

Clendinning said the electric car is peppy and fun to drive.

In a typical car, youre getting your maximum jump or torque at 2,000 to 3,000 rpms, but in an electric car, you get it all at zero, he said. When you jump off the line at a light, youre getting all of your torque. Its great on the highway too.

The couple, who both work downtown at BC Hydro, drive about 52 kilometres round trip to work each day, a commute of about 40 minutes each way.

Its very nice not to have to stop at a gas station, Clendinning said. Instead, they plug the car in overnight and its ready to go again in the morning. A full charge will take the car between 120 and 160 kilometres, depending on the weather and the terrain.

We live at the top of a steep hill, which also makes a difference, Clendinning said.

According to Murphy, range anxiety about having to take trips that are 200 kilometres or more, even just occasionally, is slowing the adoption of electric vehicles.

The Clendinnings have taken their car on two trips – one to Harrison Hot Springs, the other to Mount Seymour, both with no problem. At Harrison we just plugged it into a regular outlet and had no trouble. We just asked the front desk and they were happy to give us an extension cord and it was no problem, Clendinning said.

Each charge adds $2.30 to the hydro bill, and so far, the family has spent about $149 on electricity for the car. It comes with access to a website where Nissan tracks exactly how much electricity the Leaf has used – in the Clendinnings case its 1,550 kilowatt hours used for 6,650 kilometres driven.

The family had a $1,000 charging dock installed in their home, which charges the car in about six hours. The installation of the dock cost $1,065.

You can plug it into a regular outlet and for a Leaf to fully charge from empty, that takes about 16 hours, Clendinning said.

There are now 27 charging stations throughout BC with 18 in Metro Vancouver; last year there were just two. BC has the highest hybrid adoption rate in Canada, at 2.5 times higher than other provinces, and BC Hydro says their power grid can handle growth in the future.

To ensure BC continues to have the highest electric vehicle adoption rates in North America, the province recently announced a rebate program, BC Hydros Mark DuboisPhillips, senior manager technology development, said in an email. As well, smart meters and a more modern grid will further enhance BC Hydros ability to support innovations like electric vehicles.

Details on the Clean Energy Vehicle rebates can be found at www.cevforbc.ca.

tsherlock@vancouversun.com

Blog: vancouversun.com/yourmoney

For the second time in as many days, market internals were mixed. Trade tumbled on the Nasdaq by 17.6% but on the NYSE by a modest 1.6%. Declining volume topped advancing volume by a ratio of 4.2 to 1 on the NYSE and 3.3 to 1 on the Nasdaq. The light volume suggests that institutions are not actively involved in Fridays selloff.

Despite the poor performance put in by equities on Friday, the light volume was the saving grace of the session. Because of the absence of high volume selling, the market did not realize a distribution day. Weve continually stated lately that as long as the market avoids distribution days and we continue to see buying into weakness, our bullish stance on the market will remain intact. Friday left us no reason to sway from our bullish bias.

The iShares Trust (NYSEArca:IWM) lost support of its 10-day MA on Friday and it now appears that this ETF may rejoin its 20-day EMA for the first time since January 5th of this year. Notice that support of the uptrend line coincides with this key moving average. A pullback, followed by consolidation at this level could provide a buying opportunity in IWM. We are monitoring IWM for a possible long entry.

Recently, we exited the iShares Dow Jones US Telecom Sector ETF (NYSEArca:IYZ) for a solid profit. Since exiting the trade, IYZ has been consolidating for the past six sessions above its last breakout of $21.70. A retest of this level and/or an undercut of the 10-day/20-day moving averages could present a buying opportunity in this ETF.

On Friday, (NYSEArca:IYT) undercut its 20-day EMA and formed a bullish reversal candle. If Fridays low holds, IYT is likely prepping for another move higher. DVY has been showing excellent relative strength over the past two sessions, as it has been consolidating above the gap formed on February 2, 2012. DVY is also holding support of its 10-day MA. The market continues to hold up well but we are still may have to withstand a few more days of selling pressure prior to a potential move higher in the market. For the moment, we will likely have to exercise patience, since it may take some time for new setups to develop.

The commentary above is an abbreviated version of The Wagner Daily, a daily ETF and stock swing trading newsletter. Subscribers to the full version also receive detailed entry and exit prices for potential swing trade entries, and an additional section dedicated to individual stock trades. To learn more about our trading strategy, please visit our blog.

Deron Wagner is a professional hedge fund manager who founded Morpheus Trading Group, a swing trader education firm, in 2002. He is the author of the best-selling book, Trading ETFs: Gaining An Edge With Technical Analysis. His new book, Advanced Technical Analysis of ETFs, will be released in August 2012. Past television appearances include CNBC, ABC, and Yahoo! FinanceVision. Wagner is also a frequent guest speaker at various trading events around the world, and can be reached by sending e-mail to: deron@morpheustrading.com.

Related posts:

1. Trading ETFs: Buying Leveraged Small Cap Opportunities In Tech? (TNA, IXN, XRT, SPY, DIA, IWM, QQQ)
2. “False Breakdowns” Create Good Gold Silver Buying Opportunities (GLD, IAU, SLV)
3. Louis James: Year-end Buying Opportunities Abound In Mining Stocks (GLD, GDX, GDXJ, IAU, DZZ, SLW, EXK)
4. The Pullback In These ETFs Offer A Buying Opportunity (XOP, IAU, IWM, DIA, SPY, DVY, IYT)
5. Forget BRIC ETFs: Look To VISTA Nations For Better Opportunities (VNM, IDX, EIDO, EZA, TUR)

IYT, IYZ

Supporting the annual Cookie Sale Program is all about fueling girls’ goals for what they want to accomplish in Girl Scouting, said Helen Wronski, president and CEO of Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey. Many people do not realize that girls and troops use cookie proceeds to give back to the community by completing take action projects locally. Other troops use proceeds to either take trips or participate in programs that are designed to build their leadership skills in various areas, like financial literacy, self-esteem and marketing.

This year, many troops are saving their cookie proceeds to join the many celebrations that mark the 100th anniversary of Girl Scouting in the United States, including the BIG. (Believe in Girls) Celebration in June at Liberty State Park. Other troops are planning trips to Girl Scout World Centers in England, Switzerland and Mexico. Across the nation, some girls use cookie proceeds to help families in Peru or build a classroom for homeless children.

In partnership with the Department of the US Army; Picatinny Division, Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey will be donating cookies that will be shipped to service members serving their country. Customers who want to support this program can place cookie orders with Girl Scouts and designate them for the Cookies From Home program.

After paying the bakers who provide the actual cookies, all proceeds from the Girl Scout Cookie Program go right back to the community to fund activities locally. Proceeds that are directed to the Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey are used to train and recruit volunteers across the area, maintain and improve camp and program facilities, and pay for planning and materials of council program activities and trips.

More importantly, the Cookie Sale is all about the business skills girls develop as a result of joining this American tradition. Girls just don’t sell cookies. They participate in program activities that are specifically designed to help build skills in money management, business ethics, people skills, goal-setting and decision making, Wronski said.

The Girl Scout Cookie Program, the nation’s leading entrepreneurial program, has been a favorite activity of Girl Scouts since 1917.

For more information about the cookie sale or to find a troop selling cookies, visit gsnnj.org, or call the nearest service center: Paterson 973-881-9400; Paramus 201-967-8100; Randolph 973-927-7722, or Riverdale 973-248-8200.

By CHARLES BOOTHE –

If there is one thing from the past that I wish would return, it is passenger trains.

Yes, I know, they still run and you can take trips, but the routes are limited and stations are few and far between.

No, Im talking about routine train travel — locally, statewide, nationally.

I?thought about this recently when Frances Naff of Henry was talking about how people used to ride trains from Henry to Roanoke or Martinsville or Bassett. It was the primary mode of transportation.

That prompted my first memory of a train ride, in West Virginia, from Oakvale to Bluefield. Keep in mind that Oakvale, like Henry, is quite a small town. But at that time, trains stopped at countless small towns.

I think was I was 5 years old, and it was one of the most exciting things that happened to me in my youth.

I loved the roar of the engine, the smell of the passenger car and the slight sways as the train seemed to glide on the tracks, a rocking motion that was uniquely comforting.

Seeing sights in the valleys and along creeks I would not have seen otherwise, it was like visiting new places that were practically in my own back yard.

As the train roared along through the mountains, I remember thinking about the work that went into building the railroad, blasting away gaps in the hills, building the rail beds and spiking down those rails one at a time.

It had to have been back-breaking work because the sophisticated machinery now used simply didnt exist then. Just mostly men, hand tools and muscle. (If you ever happen to venture to Talcott, W.Va., there is a statue of John Henry, the steel-drivin man, standing above the tunnel he died digging, folklore has it.)

Rail travel, of course, opened up this country, so to speak. A TV series I?have been watching called Hell on Wheels takes place right after the Civil War when Union Pacific was working to complete a cross-country line.

Talk about rugged people. Its hard to imagine men working like that these days. Not to mention the danger often posed by Native Americans who, of course, didnt like the idea of their hunting grounds being invaded and basically taken over.

Ownership of land was foreign to them, and it was difficult for them to understand how a human could actually own a piece of nature. So they didnt take kindly to being told to get out of the way.

Progress was a concept they didnt understand either. They were quite content with their lives the way they were.

But as one of the characters said in the series, when the line is complete, a journey from New York to San Francisco that used to take six months could be made in seven days.

As years went by, networks of rails crisscrossed the nation, and still do. Most that are in use haul commodities, with coal being the major cargo in this region.

Rail service through Oakvale and Henry stopped many years ago, as better roads were built and more and more people had cars, of course. It is a piece of history that many of us who remember it still cherish.

In other parts of the world, trains are still a major means of public conveyance, so maybe there is hope.

I?have taken train rides a few times since those days, and each time, it has been a wonderful experience. One of the things on my bucket list is to take a cross-country trip in a sleeper car.

Returning to a day when train travel was local may never happen. Its probably just not economically feasible.

People are so used to cars, they may not be interested in it anyway, regardless of how much the cost of fuel rises.

Thats a shame.

Sometimes, I really dont understand the concept of progress either.

NEW YORK, Feb. 13, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ –
Ogilvy & Mather announced today the launch of Social@Ogilvy, a worldwide practice connecting all of the agency’s social media experts to deliver solutions across all areas of business.

What was once a specialty offering within Ogilvy Public Relations has now expanded across all marketing disciplines into a dynamic, global network of social media experts from the complete Ogilvy family. Social@Ogilvy connects marketing, communications, CRM, sales enablement, shopper marketing experts and more to deliver seven big social solutions. In addition to Social Media Marketing and Communications, these solutions now include Social Shopping, SocialCRM, Social Care, Social Business Solutions, Listening and Analytics, and our measurement model, Conversation Impact(TM).

Social@Ogilvy enables the firm to more efficiently and effectively serve the complex needs of clients, as social solutions become true business solutions.

“Now, no matter which door clients walk through at Ogilvy, they will connect with the Social@Ogilvy team to deliver agile and measurable solutions. That’s access to social experts deep in every marketing and communications discipline,” says John Bell, Global Managing Director of Social@Ogilvy. “We have worked hard over the last seven years to define and apply ‘best practice’ use of social media to business. The real power of social media for business in 2012 and beyond lies in fully integrated solutions, not stand-alone social programs.”

With over 550 dedicated social media experts around the world – and another 4,000 digital experts – the Social@Ogilvy team is the largest network of social media strategists delivering global and local solutions. Headquartered in New York, the team is led by John Bell, Global Managing Director, Tom DeLuca, Chief Operating Officer and a board of advisors including Christopher Graves, CEO of Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide; Gunther Schumacher, COO of OgilvyOne; Brandon Berger, Chief Digital Officer of Ogilvy & Mather and Steve Harding, CEO of OgilvyAction.

Named 2011 Global Digital/Social Consultancy of the Year by The Holmes Report, Ogilvy & Mather has led award-winning social media initiatives for clients around the globe, generated groundbreaking industry thought leadership and established a worldwide training discipline.

Global clients like IBM, Nestle, Unilever, UPS and Ford are scaling their use of social media and effectively “socializing their enterprise.” Social@Ogilvy proves that the agency, too, can “socialize” its own business and serve as a valuable strategic partner for brands and organizations growing their effective use of social media.

“The development of this new, expanded practice across our network is another proof point for how we have mobilized world-class digital and social expertise into all sectors of Ogilvy & Mather,” says Brandon Berger, Ogilvy’s Chief Digital Officer.

More information about the new Social@Ogilvy practice can be viewed at the following channels:

Blog

http://social.ogilvy.com

Twitter
www.twitter.com/socialogilvy

Facebook
www.facebook.com/socialogilvy

SlideShare
www.slideshare.com/socialogilvy

Social@OgilvySocial@Ogilvy is the largest social media marketing communications network in the world. Named 2011 Global Digital/Social Consultancy of the Year by The Holmes Report, the practice leverages social media expertise across all Ogilvy & Mather disciplines, offering an extensive list of services within the foundational business solutions – Listening and Analytics; Social Business Solutions; Social Media Marketing and Communications; Social Shopping; Social CRM; Social Care; and Conversation Impact. For more information, visit social.ogilvy.com and connect with us at
www.facebook.com/socialogilvy ,
www.twitter.com/socialogilvy ,
www.slideshare.com/socialogilvy .

Ogilvy & Mather Ogilvy & Mather is one of the largest marketing communications companies in the world. Through its specialty units, the company provides a comprehensive range of marketing services including: advertising; public relations and public affairs; branding and identity; shopper and retail marketing; healthcare communications; and direct, digital, promotion and relationship marketing. Ogilvy & Mather services Fortune Global 500 companies as well as local businesses through its network of more than 450 offices in 120 countries. It is a WPP company

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. For more information, visit
www.ogilvy.com .

SOURCE Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide

Copyright (C) 2012 PR Newswire. All rights reserved

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More From Businessweek

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By Richard Rubin and Steven Sloan

(Updates with estate tax proposal in 16th paragraph, Olson comments in 24th paragraph.)

Feb. 14 (Bloomberg) — President Barack Obama called for $1.4 trillion in fresh revenue from Americans at the top of the income scale, proposing higher taxes on wages and investments and limiting breaks for retirement savings and health insurance.

The tax proposals in the administration’s fiscal 2013 budget plan, released yesterday, were immediately rejected by business groups and congressional Republicans, who said the ideas are part of Obama’s re-election strategy and gave them little chance of advancing into law in 2012.

“Whether this occurs in Congress this year or this is the tax platform for this year’s election, it’s disconcerting for businesses,” said Caroline Harris, chief tax counsel at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the nation’s largest business group.

In what he billed a bid for tax fairness and deficit reduction, Obama reversed his previous policy of taxing dividends more lightly than wage income. The budget plan would raise $206.4 billion over 10 years by treating dividends as ordinary income for married couples making more than $250,000 a year and individuals making more than $200,000.

“We simply can’t afford to devote $206 billion for lower tax rates for the highest-income Americans,” Gene Sperling, White House director of the National Economic Council, told reporters. “Our system for taxing investment income for the most well-off Americans is clearly broken.”

Higher Rates

Obama is proposing a top individual income tax rate of 39.6 percent in 2013, up from 35 percent. His budget would tax long- term capital gains at a top rate of 20 percent, up from 15 percent. The top dividend tax rate is now 15 percent.

An additional 3.8 percent tax on the unearned income of couples earning $250,000 and individuals making at least $200,000 will take effect next year as part of the 2010 health- care law. As a result, under Obama’s plan some taxpayers would pay 43.4 percent in federal taxes on their dividends next year. That’s almost triple what they now pay and comes on top of corporate taxes.

A coalition of companies, including AT&T Inc. and United Parcel Service Inc., has been lobbying to maintain the current rates on capital gains and dividends. Democratic leaders in Congress may take their cues from Obama and propose a higher tax rate on dividends than on capital gains, said Jim McCrery, a lobbyist for the coalition.

“There was some comfort in knowing that the president was supporting a top rate for both of 20 percent, and now that’s been taken away,” said McCrery, a former Republican member of Congress from Louisiana who sat on the House Ways and Means Committee.

Policy Difference

Clint Stretch, managing principal of tax policy at Deloitte Tax LLP in Washington, said the administration’s proposal to tax dividends at higher rates than capital gains is surprising, because such gains tend to go to those with the highest incomes.

“What is the policy difference that the administration has suddenly found between qualified dividends and capital gains?” he said. “Why do they get different rates now?”

The administration also wants to impose a 30 percent minimum tax for individuals with annual incomes of at least $1 million, known as the Buffett rule after billionaire investor Warren Buffett, who originated the idea last year.

That would replace the alternative minimum tax, “which now burdens middle-class Americans rather than stopping the richest Americans from paying too little as was originally intended,” the administration said.

Tax Code Rewrite

Sperling said the AMT would be eliminated as part of a broader rewrite of the U.S. tax code. The administration hasn’t made such a proposal, and the budget released yesterday didn’t include repealing the AMT or imposing the Buffett rule.

Obama’s budget doesn’t say how much revenue the Buffett rule would generate and it doesn’t provide details on how the proposal would affect individuals’ tax calculations. The U.S. collected $39.1 billion from the alternative minimum tax in 2011, according to projections from the Tax Policy Center, a nonpartisan research organization in Washington.

The budget plan revives calls to allow the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts for income and capital gains to expire at the end of 2012 for families earning more than $250,000 a year. Obama wants to raise the top estate tax rate to 45 percent from 35 percent and lower the exemption amount to less than $4 million from more than $5 million. Obama proposes capping at 28 percent itemized deductions and other tax benefits for high-earning families.

Municipal Bond Interest

The list of capped tax breaks includes municipal bond interest and employer-sponsored health insurance. In its budget, the administration expanded the proposal to include contributions to tax-advantaged retirement accounts such as 401(k) plans.

The president’s plan would tax the profits-based compensation paid to private equity managers at ordinary income rates instead of a preferential 15 percent rate. It also would curtail tax breaks for corporate jets and oil and gas companies.

Obama reintroduced previous years’ proposals to limit U.S. companies’ ability to defer taxation on income earned overseas. He proposed new breaks for businesses that hire more workers, manufacture advanced vehicles, make capital investments or bring jobs into the U.S.

“This is not an integrated plan for tax reform,” said Hank Gutman, principal in charge of federal tax legislative and regulatory services at KPMG LLP in Washington. “These are ad hoc proposals to address issues the administration perceives as important.”

Picking Winners

Representative Dave Camp, who heads the House Ways and Means Committee, said Obama’s proposals wouldn’t foster the neutral platform that businesses need to compete.

“The president has decided to play the age-old Washington game of picking winners and losers and handing out favors to industries he thinks will help him politically, making the code less fair and more complex for average Americans,” said Camp, a Michigan Republican who is developing a tax-code overhaul.

Separately from the budget, Obama is proposing a rewrite of the corporate tax system to eliminate tax benefits and lower the top corporate rate from 35 percent. The administration plans to release more details of its corporate tax framework by the end of the month.

“It’s easier to talk about it in the generic terms that a proposal coming out later could be discussed in than the specifics of what goes into a budget book,” said Pamela Olson, deputy U.S. tax leader at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in Washington and the Treasury’s top tax policy official under President George W. Bush. “You can avoid talking about some of the harsh things that you have to do in specific terms.”

The administration also proposed a boost to tax enforcement for the Internal Revenue Service, increasing the agency’s budget by 8 percent to $12.8 billion.

–With assistance from Roger Runningen, Alex Wayne and Jeff Plungis in Washington and Kate Anderson Brower in Annandale, Virginia. Editors: Jodi Schneider, Laurie Asseo

To contact the reporters on this story: Richard Rubin in Washington at rrubin12@bloomberg.net; Steven Sloan in Washington at ssloan7@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Jodi Schneider at jschneider50@bloomberg.net

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