Friday, October 23, 2009 BERLIN: A group of wealthy Germans has called for the resumption of wealth tax to help the country bounce back from an economic crisis. The petition has been signed by 44 people who want to convince the government of the newly re-elected Chancellor, Angela Merkel, to raise taxes. Peter Vollmer, a signatory to the group's online petition said he had inherited "a lot of money I do not need". Dieter Kelmkuhl, a 66-year-old retired doctor and signatory, said it was time for the wealthy to come to the aid of their country. He claimed that if the 2.2 million Germans who have personal fortunes of more than £450,000 paid a tax of five per cent this year and next, it would provide the State with €100 billion.
Sunday, February 28, 2010 HAVANA: Hundreds of wealthy merchants and cigar aficionados from all parts of the world gathered in Havana this week to bid high stakes for humidors full of premium cigars. Cuba's annual Habanos festival ended on Friday night with an auction of ornate humidors of cedar and mahogany stacked with hand-rolled stogies that raised 800,000 euros ($1.09 million dollars). Habanos S.A. executives this month said cigar sales fell 8 percent to $360 million in 2009, so they have created the Julieta, a smaller, milder version of the Romeo y Julieta cigar, aimed specifically at female smokers. Women now make up only 5 to 10 percent of customers for Habanos. But even with the creation of the Julieta, Garcia said Habanos has only modest hopes for 2010 sales, due largely to a weak economy in Spain, the biggest market for Cuban cigars. The flavor of premium tobacco relies on the soil and climate in which it is grown. The western province of Pinar Del Rio, famous fo...
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