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10 Things You Need To Know About Tech and Antitrust

by Alec Stapp, Director of Technology Policy

On Wednesday, the House Subcommittee on Antitrust will hear testimony from the CEOs of Amazon, Google, Facebook, and Apple. Throughout the long pandemic shutdown, Big Tech has supplied the products and services that allow many Americans to keep working remotely and to stay in touch with family and friends while socially distancing. Our connectedness is one of the few bright spots in this ordeal. It's an odd moment for lawmakers to be expending energy on castigating America's most innovative and globally competitive companies, simply because they are big.

However, critics of the tech giants have labeled them "monopolies" and increasingly advocate for regulators to break them up. With that in mind, here are 10 things you need to know about tech and antitrust before tuning in to the hearing.

READ HERE

Forward

SEC in Focus: Lack of Diversity Among Asset Managers
by Jason Gold, Senior Fellow at PPI

The SEC doesn’t have a long history of using its powers to focus on diversity, but SEC Chairman Jay Clayton sounded an optimistic note: “We should continue to ask ourselves how we want participation and representation in our markets to evolve, at all levels,” Mr. Clayton said at the meeting.

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PODCAST: Conversation With Rep. Sharice Davids and Rep. Scott Peters
by Will Marshall and Ben Ritz

PPI President Will Marshall and Ben Ritz from the Center for Funding America’s Future are joined by Congresswoman Sharice Davis (KS-3) and Congressman Scott Peters (CA-52) for a conversation on the fiscal health of the United States, budget priorities, the election, and their perspective on how America’s economy.

LISTEN HERE

A vision for independent workers

by Micheal Mandel and Alec Stapp

First, it is important to realize that while independent contractors receive tax deductions with expenses like vehicle miles, the tax system penalizes independent workers who provide their own benefits. Most independent workers must pay Social Security and Medicare taxes on the money they contribute to their retirement accounts. By contrast, the contribution of employers to their employee retirement accounts is exempt from these taxes, subject to certain rules. Indeed, this tax exemption can be worth thousands of dollars for middle income workers. Similar problems also arise with health insurance coverage for independent workers.

READ HERE

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JULY 28 FORUM: RED TAPE IN SCHOOLS
by David Osborne, Director of Reinventing America’s Schools Project

The bipartisan Campaign for Common Good held a Zoom forum on Tuesday, July 28, to explore overhaul of school bureaucracy.

Educators today are crushed by accumulated red tape, diverting time and resources and causing a plague of burnout. Yet success in the classroom hinges on the skill, caring, and personality of each teacher.

Local and individual responsibility must become a guiding principle for organizing schools. COVID-19 only underscores the need for adaptability in schools.

WATCH HERE

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