State lawsuits over stimulus tax rule face uphill battle
US Vice President Kamala Harris speaks about the Biden administration s decision to release $39 billion from the American Rescue Plan. Shutterstock
Friday, April 30, 2021 8:11 AM UTC
States were told by the federal government that they can’t use pandemic relief funds passed by Congress in March to lower taxes. In response, 16 states have filed lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of that restriction in the US$1.9 trillion legislation, known as the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.
The rescue plan makes $350 billion available to state and local governments over the next four years to cover costs associated with COVID-19. It guarantees every state at least $500 million, but more can be provided based on unemployment numbers and poverty rates.
States claim the stimulus law assaults state sovereignty by barring local governments from using aid money to cut taxes. But the Supreme Court has consistently approved conditions on federal spending.
A Changing Tide: Are iGaming Laws In The US Reflective Of A Global Shift? By IBT Contributor
04/28/21 AT 3:09 PM
There are perhaps few industries in the US that have undergone as profound a transformation as the iGaming sector has over the last number of years.
Much of this transformation can be put down to a landmark United States Supreme Court decision that was issued in 2018. This decision arose out of a move by the State of New Jersey to overturn the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), which had, for almost three decades, prohibited state-sanctioned sports gambling at the federal level, save for four exemptions granted to Nevada, Delaware, Oregon and Montana. The New Jersey state legislators argued that this provision violated the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which deals with the ability of states to regulate and legislate for themselves.
For a long time, gambling and politics have always been closely linked together. This is mainly because governments all over the world have been trying to regulate gambling, and in countries where gambling is big, casino licenses are never unlimited. The growth of the gambling industry is politics in itself.
In the 90s, it was heavily reported that gambling interests to both national and political parties have increased to over 840 percent. The General Accounting Office has reported that many political figures and candidates during this time were accepting money from gambling companies.
While some have frowned upon this, it wasnât illegal to accept gambling contributions. This is because casino games and bet on sports, in general, are starting to be more regulated. Sports betting were popping up in the 90s and fast forward to today, more and more state is starting to look into regulating gambling activities.
The Canadian Criminal Code
(the “Code”) sets forth the parameters of legal gaming in Canada. The Code
generally prohibits sports-based wagering except where such wagering is conducted and managed by the provincial governments; however, section 207(4)(b) of the Code prohibits even those governments from offering wagering on the outcome of a single sporting event or contingency thereon.
The rationale for creating the sports betting regime in this way in 1985 derived from the Canadian Federal Government’s attempt to limit the potential for match manipulations. However, technological advances and statistical tools that have since become available can enable sportsbook operators to closely monitor illegal acts that give rise to match-fixing, so the danger of match-fixing no longer justifies the prohibition.