While U.S. presidential candidates on both sides call for lower corporate tax rates, the United States is expected to have the highest corporate tax rate among the world’s developed countries starting April 1 when Japan revises its tax code. Britain, meanwhile, plans to cut the country’s corporation tax on company profits to 24 percent from 26 percent in April and to 22 percent by 2014 (APF), all lower than originally planned. Read more »

With major political changes for Beijing and Washington on the horizon, President Obama called on China (Reuters) before the second Nuclear Security Summit to use its influence in Pyongyang to stop it from ratcheting up global nuclear tensions. Read more »

In this week’s views, we return to China where candidates’ foreign policy pronouncements seems to be making waves with the media. Our first stop is People’s Daily Overseas, where they note “some of the presidential candidates choose to groundlessly attack China to shift the U.S. public’s attention from the country’s domestic woes,” and have decided to hit back with this analysis: Read more »

The U.S. Supreme Court will begin hearing arguments Monday on President Obama’s 2010 health care law, which many Republicans — including the full slate of GOP presidential candidates — say is unconstitutional because it of its mandate that everyone buy health insurance or face a penalty tax. Read more »

GOP front-runner Mitt Romney’s plan to go further than President Obama or President George W. Bush in confronting China is raising concerns among business-friendly Republicans, who believe it could “set off a counterproductive trade war.” (NYT) Read more »

In spite of recent claims from some GOP presidential contenders that increasing domestic drilling will lower gas prices, history seems to show more drilling does not automatically mean lower prices (AP) at the pump, according to a statistical analysis of thirty-six years of monthly gasoline prices and U.S. domestic oil production conducted by the Associated Press. In fact, U.S. oil production has increased 15 percent since 2009, but prices continue to rise. Read more »

A new Gallup poll shows “a solid majority” of voters want the U.S. government to approve building the Keystone XL pipeline. Republicans are almost twice as likely as Democrats to want the government to approve the oil pipeline and about half of independents also approve. Read more »

Education has cropped up as an economic sleeper issue for U.S. voters with a debate ensuing about the types of degrees college graduates need to have in the current economy as well as the availability of apprenticeship/training programs necessary to meet the needs of U.S. employers. Read more »

GOP presidential candidates came out in immediate support for a new Republican budget plan (WashPost) unveiled Tuesday that would slash spending, lower and simplify taxes, overhaul Medicare, and cut food stamps. The latest budget proposal comes amid strong philosophical differences between Democrats and Republicans over U.S. fiscal policy, particularly how to reduce the country’s growing debt, which numerous analysts argue will force a crisis similar to the eurozone crisis if not soon addressed. Read more »