Month: January 2020

Artificial intelligence, 5G wireless technology and electric and self-driving vehicles are the life of the party at the ongoing 2020 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, industry experts said.

The show, one of the world’s largest and most influential technology expos, kicked off for members of the media on Sunday with news conferences and a sneak peek. The official opening came on Tuesday.

According to the Consumer Technology Association, the event organizer, more than 4,500 exhibitors came from around 160 countries. There are around 20,000 transformative new tech products on display in 36 product categories. Hundreds of companies are showing off their latest innovations.

Among the categories, streaming services, wireless earbuds, 5G connectivity and AI-enabled devices are the growth leaders, according to an association report released on Sunday.

While the internet of things has set the pace for the market over the past decade, this year the industry is different.

“We are increasingly confronted with an entirely new IoT, the intelligence of things,” said Steve Koenig, the association’s vice-president of research.

“5G is one of those ingredient technologies that is really powering the intelligence of things,” Koenig said. “The 5G narrative is just going to continue to unfold as we move forward throughout the decade.”

According to the association, 2020 will see double-digit growth in the number of 5G smartphones sold and revenue generated.

Around 20 million units are expected to be sold, with estimated total revenue of $15.3 billion.

This year is “an inaugural year for 5G-enabled handsets”, said Lesley Rohrbaugh, director of research for the group. By 2022, two-thirds of the handset market will switch from a 4G focus to 5G, she said.

The trend is evident at the electronics show, with companies launching 5G-related devices. TCL, the Guangdong-based TV maker, was to unveil its first 5G smartphone on Monday. The company said it will retail for under $500.

Lenovo is collaborating with Qualcomm for its first 5G computer, the Yoga 5G, set for release this spring.

During Qualcomm’s news conference on Monday, company President Cristiano Amon gave an ambitious estimate about the application of 5G in 2020, saying that 200 million 5G smartphones will be shipped this year.

More than 45 operators globally already have deployed 5G, Amon said. In October, China’s three major mobile operators launched 5G service plans and made them available in dozens of cities.

But 5G is not the only star at the expo.

“You are going to see AI prevalent throughout the entire show,” Rohrbaugh said.

The consumerization of AI is leading to advancements in many categories: smart homes, smart speakers, human-machine partnerships in the workplace and automated driving, to name a few.

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“I believe the application of AI technology makes our product stand out,” said Leilei Shinohara, vice-president of Suteng Innovation Technology, a Shenzhen company devoted to light detection and ranging technology, or LiDAR.

“While companies around the world are also focusing on the same technology, their focus has been more on the hardware,” he said. But the company brought in AI algorithms developed by a 100-person team to make detection more accurate. The company’s automotive LiDAR product has won the innovation award at the expo for two consecutive years.

Koenig sees the upcoming decade as “the electric decade for vehicles”.

“And that’s not just cars, but all types of transportation,” he said, adding that innovations in battery systems, better-built infrastructure and more developed charging systems are all helping to boost the industry.

This year’s show will also see a major shift in content. The launch of Disney Plus and Apple TV Plus in 2019 made it a big year for streaming services. NBCUniversal’s Peacock, short-form video platform Quibi and HBO Max are all set to launch in 2020.

“There is no shortage of choices out there,” Koenig said. The expo reflected the trend, as two of its eight keynote speeches were delivered via streaming service providers — Quibi and NBCUniversal.

With more than 170,000 attendees expected, the expo is an opportunity for big-name companies to break news and for smaller companies to make an impression.

“A lot of media, a lot of distributors are coming here as well. We want to get a little bit of exposure, and we want to have more connections with local distributors,” said Wang Kai of Guangzhou Puppy Robot Technology.

Others were also enthusiastic.

“This year, we brought a product that we found most compelling to the overseas market,” said Lin Xiaochen, product director of Fujian Nanping Nanfu Battery Co.

“We hope to introduce China’s innovative technologies to the world. As our product is winning the CES Innovation Award this year, we hope that introducing it here can help broaden the road for our company, as well as Chinese companies in general in the overseas market.”

After China’s World Cup woes, CBA reforms offer plenty of hope for future

In a tumultuous year for Chinese hoops, Wukesong Arena has witnessed the historic lows and, more recently, the hope-inducing highs that point to brighter days for the nation’s basketball fans.

The western Beijing stadium was the scene of Team China’s miserable defeats to Poland and Venezuela which precipitated the country’s worst ever performance at an international event－a 24th-place finish among 32 teams which saw China lose Asia’s only direct Olympic qualification berth to Iran.

These days, though, there are rarely glum faces to be seen in the Wukesong crowd as fans flock to the 18,000-seat venue to cheer on the high-flying Beijing Ducks－evidence that the wide-ranging reforms implemented by the Chinese Basketball Association in the wake of the World Cup debacle are having the desired effect.

With Team China suddenly finding itself in the same vacuous limbo as the country’s perennially underachieving men’s soccer squad, it was clear CBA chairman Yao Ming was determined not to let standards slip any further.

Asked after China’s final World Cup game who was to blame for the host’s woes, a grim-faced Yao responded: “Me! It is me and my association that disappointed the fans.

“We have been forced to open our eyes to realize how far the world has gone in front of us.

“However, we should never let the disappointment shake our faith in carrying on the efforts in professionalizing the league, improving youth and coach training programs while expanding school participation.”

Yao’s courtside presence throughout that miserable Cup campaign was a constant reminder of just how far China had fallen. The former NBA superstar, who retired in 2011 due to a foot injury, inspired China into the last eight of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, its best international performance.

Having qualified for every Olympics since its debut at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles, China now looks almost certain to miss out on Tokyo 2020. Its only remaining route to the Games in Japan is to upset the odds against a plethora of global heavyweights, such as Greece, Canada and Turkey, in a 24-team qualifying tournament in June, when only the four group winners will book their Tokyo tickets.

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Spurs host Liverpool on Saturday afternoon with their new manager struggling to show that his methods can be successful in the modern game

Although there was a mixed response to the news of Jose Mourinho’s appointment in November, virtually every supporter and commentator agreed on one thing: reviving Tottenham Hotspur after 12 months of stagnation would take time, money, and patience.

Yet just six weeks on, murmurs of discontent have already begun.

There are warning signs of the mask slipping and the old Mourinho returning, with the Portuguese ostracising Harry Winks, firing a pot shot at Tanguy Ndombele and being rude to “an idiot”. Anxious Spurs fans could be forgiven for feeling as though they’ve jumped straight to Mourinho’s usual third-season end game.

However, the real warning sign isn’t Mourinho’s actions themselves, but rather the industry’s reaction to them.

Mourinho’s idols are Sir Alex Ferguson and Sir Bobby Robson, two greats of the game defined by their Churchillian stature rather than their tactical prowess. Their powers were charisma, man-management, and a galvanising quality; in other words, an aura of genius that united teams and drove them to spectacular overachievement.

The problem for Mourinho is that, like all psychological characteristics, these are by their nature illusory. One needs to believe in their presence for them to exist – and for Mourinho that magnetism is waning.

But Mourinho is also a master tactician, of course, and his own allure is built on an acceptance of his anti-aestheticism and the Machiavellian instincts underpinning his personality. He deliberately and strategically runs counter to modern trends, intertwining the mental and the tactical.

When his tactics stop working, his psychological powers wilt. When the aura loses its gloss, the tactics fall apart.

This is why, within just a few weeks of his tenure at Spurs, we are already obsessing over the details of his game plans and of his press conferences. It’s been a rocky start.

Tottenham’s 1-1 draw with Middlesbrough in the FA Cup last weekend left Mourinho with a record of six wins, two draws, and four defeats from his first 12 games as manager, statistically his second-worst start to a new job behind a patchy beginning at Uniao Leiria in 2001-2002. Even Mourinho’s brief and unhappy 11-game spell at Benfica ended with a higher win percentage than his current 50 per cent success rate at Spurs.

The tactical issues are numerous, the most glaring of which being an inability to sort out Tottenham’s defence, which has conceded 19 goals in 12 games. This is partly because the side lacks quality in the full-back positions, plus Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen no longer seem capable of communicating effectively with one another.

But the defensive failures are systemic, a knock-on effect of the team’s awkward transition from high-pressing football under Pochettino to a more conservative style under Mourinho.

There is something oddly meandering about their defensive shape; as if the players are caught in limbo, caught between opposing systems, neither compressing space in their own half nor pinning the opposition back in theirs. Consequently, there are huge patches of grass on the flanks and in behind, leaving opponents free to counterattack through a passive midfield.

In possession, Tottenham are similarly ambling, the disconnect between the lines steadily worsening as Mourinho fails to get a hold on central midfield. His chopping and changing betrays anxiety – and an imbalance he will no doubt look to correct in the transfer market.

Dele Alli’s form has dropped off while Christian Eriksen continues to disappoint, leaving Spurs without any real line-breaking attackers. Without creative full-backs, with hesitant central midfielders, and with Heung-min Son only starting half of Mourinho’s games so far, Spurs lack tempo or imagination.

All of which has conspired to create the perception that Mourinho’s tactics are inherently out-dated. There is weight to this argument.

The wealth gap in modern football has created distinctly territorial battles of attack versus defence – of possession versus counter – for clubs of Tottenham’s stature, and Mourinho’s risk-averse football has perhaps become irrelevant as a result.

His famous dictum, that whoever has the ball has fear, is not applicable when deep-lying opponents force you to dominate possession and patiently probe for an opening.

The best managers in world football coach detailed attacking lines, etching moves into muscle memory to stretch and split a defensive shell. Mourinho, giving genuine freedom for his forwards to improvise on the counter, is being left behind – or so the theory goes.

The reality is more complex. For starters, he has had very little time on the training ground to impart his ideas and for a manager who regularly needs a full 12 months (two summers of coaching, four transfer windows) to get the team in shape, we should not be so quick to blame him for failing to inspire a new manager bounce. That Spurs’ drifting performances look so similar to the final months under Pochettino tells us this isn’t really Jose’s team yet.

And what Mourinho has achieved tactically has, in short bursts, run counter to what we expect from him. Tottenham didn’t park the bus against Chelsea, even if Frank Lampard’s side managed to pin them back for long periods.

They held 53% possession against Manchester United at Old Trafford. More significantly, during a run of wins in November, Spurs lined up in a unique 3-2-5 formation in possession, shape-shifting to create an attacking system that was a far cry from the rigid discipline usually preached by Mourinho.

This could be the influence of his new assistant manager, 30-year-old Joao Sacramento, who is seen as a sharp tactical mind helping to modernise the Tottenham head coach.

Whatever the reason, Spurs have been more progressive than anticipated, offering an alternative explanation for why their defensive record hasn’t sharply improved. What has been interpreted as a negative could, in fact, be a sign that Mourinho is changing.

Besides, sorting out the Spurs defence will take the sort of long training sessions that haven’t been available until now. It will also take new signings in key areas. This is still the same ageing, jaded squad that Pochettino couldn’t inspire throughout most of 2019.

In short, Mourinho needs time, money, and patience before we can fairly judge his results. At the very least, he needs to be given an opportunity to sculpt the team in his image.

And yet perhaps the tactical intricacies, the pros and cons so far, scarcely matter. Whether pessimistic interpretations of Mourinho’s opening six weeks are accurate or not, it misses the point.

For his spells to captivate the Tottenham players, they first have to believe in the magic. If the mask has slipped, if every minor detail is viewed through a sceptical lens. If we choose to see each incident as an affirmation of Mourinho’s worst traits, then the players will never follow him and Mourinho is finished.

The early indicators – those first sighs and groans on social media, those first anxious voices leaking from the dressing room to journalists – suggest we should fear the worst.

Though the Blaugrana manager may not lose his job imminently, the writing is on the wall

Ernesto Valverde’s time as Barcelona coach is up and everybody knows it.

Goal has reported that the 55-year-old will remain in charge until the end of the season, when his contract expires, but the writing is already on the wall.

For many, that should have been the case at the end of last season after Barcelona collapsed at Anfield in an historic Champions League debacle.

After renewing Valverde’s deal in February by one year, Barcelona were left with the uncomfortable choice of sacking him after the Liverpool capitulation or letting him fulfil that extra season.

They opted for the latter and, with the team still struggling to hit top form halfway through the season, there are few who think that was a good choice.

Barcelona capitulated in the Spanish Super Cup semi-final against Atletico Madrid, throwing away a 2-1 lead to lose 3-2 in Jeddah, although curiously produced one of their best performances of the season before a dramatic final 10 minutes.

Too little, too late; realistically there’s nothing Valverde can do to keep his job.

Barcelona sporting director Eric Abidal has reportedly met with legendary former player Xavi Hernandez, the current coach of Al Sadd and someone who has never hidden his desire to coach the Catalan giants in the future.

The situation may dictate that Xavi will take over next season, despite the ex-midfielder not yet proving much in Qatar and still being on a steep learning curve.

Like Frank Lampard coming in at Chelsea, the call may come earlier than seems right, but there may not be anybody who wants to keep the seat warm after Valverde before Xavi eventually takes over.

Ronald Koeman is one option that has been mentioned, and the earliest he would leave the Netherlands is after Euro 2020 this summer.

Fans at the King Abdullah Sports City stadium in Saudi Arabia booed and jeered Valverde as he appeared on the big screens and some held banners telling him to leave.

While supporters at Camp Nou are more moderate, the crowd reaction at the Super Cup reflects a lot of internet chatter and the international fan opinion on Valverde. Many have never warmed to him.

Barcelona don’t see any advantage in sacking Valverde now but there is a feeling that enough is enough. The team aren’t playing well and that is an important factor at this club.

While they are top of the league at the halfway stage, the performances have been inconsistent and unconvincing, while Real Madrid are going from strength to strength.

It’s not sufficient just to win – as Valverde’s team have done plenty, with two league titles in his two seasons at the helm – but you have to win in the Barcelona style.

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has always been fond of Valverde, as a coach who will not pressure him and keeps a low profile, but other board members are not as keen on the former Athletic Bilbao man.

Despite the success his Barcelona have enjoyed, they have never shone in the way the team did under Luis Enrique with the ‘MSN’ attack of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar, let alone matched the heights of Pep Guardiola’s reign.

The team is more reliant than ever on captain and talisman Messi and has shown nothing to convince fans they will be able to go the distance in Europe this season or are any less flimsy.

“[This defeat] reminded me of the previous fiascos in the Champions League,” said Rivaldo of their collapse against Atletico.

Valverde, beyond teenager Ansu Fati, has not leaned enough on La Masia for the liking of many supporters, who believe Riqui Puig and Carles Alena could give the midfield the Barcelona DNA it often lacks.

The latter has joined Real Betis on loan, frustrated by his lack of opportunities at Camp Nou.

Although Frenkie de Jong’s arrival has boosted the core of the side, they still look disjointed and marque summer signing Antoine Griezmann has had a hit-and-miss start to his Barcelona career.

Valverde’s Barcelona have never had much character or personality, winning two leagues by virtue of having the best player in the world, and the best squad in the country.

The success has not been hollow but neither Real Madrid nor Atletico have been capable of running Messi and his team-mates close.

Valverde will eventually leave Barcelona with the history books reflecting his coaching as more than adequate, but his era will not be one cherished by many of the club’s supporters.

The Blues forward has flirted with the idea of leaving the club in January but it seems he won’t be able to until the summer

Frank Lampard says he is unwilling to let Pedro go in January despite his chances in the first-team becoming increasingly infrequent as the Premier League season goes on.

Pedro has flirted with the idea of moving back to his former club Barcelona, while MLS clubs New York City FC, which is Manchester City’s sister club, and Inter Miami, which David Beckham co-owns, are also exploring the option to sign him.

The 32-year-old has made just 11 appearances this season and is in the final six months of his Chelsea contract, allowing him to talk to clubs who want to sign him on a free transfer in the summer. Still, Lampard is keen to keep hold of Pedro, amid injury concerns around Christian Pulisic.

“He is part of my plans, I started the season and he was in my team, and then, unfortunately, he got injured at Norwich before the game, and I had to make a change. Then he was out for a while, and I do have competition in that area,” Lampard told reporters at Cobham Training Centre.

“He has had bits here and there, I know he wants more games, I get that. But he certainly has something that he can contribute here with his experience and his ability to break lines and run behind people and maybe get those goals in and around the box.

“He is here, I know his contract is up at the end of the season but I am not even looking that far ahead. He is here, he is part of the squad and I need everybody because football can change very quickly. There can be a period of games where you are on the bench, out of the squad, something changes an that is the moment that you have to come in and produce.

“I have got no winners in this game, I want the club to be the winner. People come in and do well, they stay in the team.”

Lampard has already told of how he would be willing to let Olivier Giroud go without a replacement, but he isn’t keen to see Andreas Christensen leave, who is in a similar situation to Pedro on the fringe of the squad.

Meanwhile, Chelsea’s goalscoring form has come into question but there have also been concerns from some about the form of goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Lampard believes that Kepa doesn’t need to measure himself by clean sheets and denied speculation linking him to changing the goalkeeping coach from Hilario to his colleague from Derby County, Shay Given.

“I will always take into consideration the confidence levels of all the players. Goalkeeper a specific position and they are normally very obsessed with clean sheets, sometimes I think overly so because I think they take too much on their shoulders because clean sheets are an absolute collective,” Lampard said.

“So I will always hope that he feels confident. It is a balance between confidence and players being on edge knowing that we want them to produce, so he has made good saves recently, vs Brighton. I’m always happy with that because that is what he is there for, that’s his job, making saves to win us points.

“I’m happy with that so long may that continue. Shay Given – no, loved working with him but I am very happy with that I have got now.”

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Can Monterrey repeat? Is Chivas’ transformation enough to get back in the title race? Goal looks at those topics and more ahead of Friday’s kickoff

Liga MX is back this weekend, a dozen days after Monterrey topped America in penalty kicks to win the league title.

Neither finalist will be in action this weekend, with those teams given a brief reprieve. Veracruz won’t be playing either, after the league’s owners voted to remove the Tiburones Rojos because of a number of regulatory issues – chief amongst them not paying their players.

The rest of the league will be in action, though, with Santos Laguna’s trip to meet Club Tijuana and Cruz Azul hosting Atlas at the Estadio Azteca headlining the Jornada 1 slate.

Before getting too deep into week one, here are five of the biggest things to keep an eye on this season:

Hope in Guadalajara

Chivas have struggled for the better part of the last decade, with a brief interlude for a Matias Almeyda-inspired double. The historic club, which fields only Mexican players, may be back on the right track after a busy offseason that saw new sporting director Ricardo Pelaez freshen things up with several exciting signings. 

El Tri forward Jose Juan Macias is back at the club after spending the last two tournaments with Leon. Victor Guzman arrived from Pachuca, as did Erick Aguirre. Jose Juan “Gallito” Vazquez joined from Santos Laguna with winger Uriel Antuna arriving after a strong season on loan with the LA Galaxy. And at the back Cristian Calderon, Jose Maduena and Alexis Pena all shore up a unit that has struggled.

For fans of one of Mexico’s most popular teams, it’s refreshing to once again see the club spending like it’s one of the league’s powers. It may not be enough to bring another title to the Estadio Akron, but the expectation is to at least get back into the playoffs. If not, a new man will take Luis Fernando Tena’s seat and see if he can’t get the club over the line.

It’s not just Chivas fans feeling good in Guadalajara. Atlas, which still plays in the historic Estadio Jalisco, was an active player in the winter market. Defender German Conti arrived from Benfica, attacking midfielder Luciano Acosta came in from D.C. United and heralded Chilean forward Ignacio Jeraldino signed with Atlas amid interest from several other Mexican teams. They also signed fullback Jose Abella from fellow Grupo Orlegi club Santos Laguna.

Those moves should help the Zorros’ young core, with rising stars such as Ismael Govea, Jairo Torres, Jesus Angulo and goalkeeper Jose Hernandez all showing potential but needing more talent and experience around them to make a return to the Liguilla.

Grandes try to strike back

In addition to the aforementioned Chivas, Pumas and Cruz Azul both have struggled recently – a rare swoon for three of the four traditional ‘grandes’ – historically the most successful and best-supported clubs.

Pumas are betting on players familiar with Liga MX, signing former Monterrey defender Johan Vazquez, ex-America and Toluca midfielder Leonel Lopez and even bringing in Sebastian Saucedo from Real Salt Lake, though the California native also spent time with Veracruz. The moves aren’t blockbusters, and it’s a lot of faith for the club to put into a team that fell four points shy of the final postseason berth last time around.

Cruz Azul has been linked with a number of strong transfer targets but is yet to reel in a truly big fish. Defender Luis Romo and goalkeeper Sebastian Jurado both show promise for the future, but the present may be a more difficult proposition.

The most successful grande of late, Club America, also has to feel a bit like it’s reeling. After it put one hand on the Liga MX trophy only to see it wrested away by Monterrey, Las Aguilas have to figure out how to get back to the final and win it this time around. While Guido Rodriguez may stay until the summer, his imminent exit from the club will create a void that will be difficult to fill. America also needs better contributions from attacking players like Nicolas Castillo and Giovani dos Santos, who was injured for much of the Apertura, if it’s going to be in the title mix again.

That said, America’s position looks like a privileged one when compared with the struggles of the other ‘grandes’. 

Rayados ready to retain title

Monterrey lifted the trophy on Dec. 30, so it’s perhaps no surprise it hasn’t been active in the winter transfer market. There have been rumors about bringing in an established center back with Jose Maria Basanta’s retirement. There also was the sale of Johan Vazquez to Pumas and Jonathan Urretaviscaya to Penarol, but otherwise Rayados mostly are rolling into the new season with the same group.

The confidence has to be high, however. Rayados are coming off a month in which it lost to Club World Cup champion Liverpool by a goal, then turned around and won the Liga MX title. Its midfield is full of promising Mexico internationals, the attack has Rogelio Funes Mori and Vincent Janssen both in form and the defense is a good mix of veteran savvy and rising talents.

Heavy is the head that wears the crown, but not only are Rayados a talented squad, they’re also not in any other competitions this semester (unlike, see below, rivals Tigres). If Antonio Mohamed can keep the ‘Mohamed magic’ going he found in his return to the club, he could add more trophies to the case.

How will Tigres maintain two-tournament balance?

Tigres never have won an international title. They’ve been close, making the Concacaf Champions League final three times but losing all three and also losing the 2015 Copa Libertadores final to River Plate. This is a team whose ambition is to be one of the best in the Americas, and at times they look like it. Yet, when it has come to international play, they’re often falling just short.

That seems to bother Tigres’ fans and directors. It does not seem to bother Tigres’ coach, the legendary Ricardo “Tuca” Ferretti.

He said this week that he puts more priority on winning Liga MX than the Concacaf Champions League, only for club president Miguel Angel Garza to come out and say that’s not exactly where the priority lies.

“Ricardo’s answer is his thought, but the goal of the institution is to go for two tournaments and he should have that clear, as should the players,” Garza said.

Either way, there are questions about whether Tigres can even win one of the tournaments. Their roster is packed with talent, but an aging squad will need better injury luck than it had last tournament and also better performances from some of the younger members of the team, including Carlos Salcedo and Diego Reyes.

Where’s the surprise team?

Every tournament sees a team in the playoffs nobody expected to be there. This year, both Necaxa and Morelia pushed into the semifinals while more historic clubs watched at home. Who will be the underdog making a run in the Clausura?

It feels unlikely either Necaxa or Morelia will repeat. Both have been raided by other teams, though Morelia brought in veteran Chilean national team player Jorge Valdivia, who could help.

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Pachuca is one candidate, but new manager Paulo Pezzolano will have to prove himself in his first job outside Uruguay. Tijuana has history but also has a new manager and hasn’t been able to lock down some of its winter transfer targets. 

Queretaro has continuity in the technical area, with Victor Vucetich staying on board. But there has been huge turnover in the squad with Ake Loba, Luis Romo and Javier Guemez among those making moves away from the Gallos Blancos this winter.

Santos Laguna is a team that should have a good tournament, but at this point can’t be considered much of an underdog.

Toluca should be stronger this tournament after finishing ahead of just three teams in the Clausura, but it may be too soon for the Red Devils to make a jump all the way back into the postseason.

Of course, that’s the fun of a new tournament. Everyone feels like they have a chance – and to some extent, they’re right. 

MONTREAL ― By Tuesday, Jan. 7, just before 9 a.m., the typical Canadian corporation had already earned all the money it will need to pay its income taxes this year.

That’s according to a new study from advocacy group Canadians for Tax Fairness, which found that income taxes account for a mere 1.75 per cent of businesses’ operating revenues.

The study concludes that Canada’s two-decade run of corporate tax cuts has failed to spur the business investment it was supposed to; cost governments hundreds of billions of dollars; and worsened inequality.

Watch: Should Canada’s super-rich pay a super-tax? Story continues below.

 

Toby Sanger, the economist who wrote the report on behalf of the group, estimates that for individuals, “income tax freedom day” only comes at the end of February. Based on tax estimates from Statistics Canada, Canadian households will have earned enough to pay their income taxes by 10 p.m. on the evening of February 29 (or March 1 if this weren’t a leap year).

“We need to recognize that cutting corporate taxes has been a multi-hundred-billion-dollar failure, stop the race to the bottom, restore corporate tax rates and invest additional revenues in public services that both grow the economy and improve the lives of all Canadians,” Sanger wrote in the report.

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Beginning around 2000, successive Canadian governments, both Liberal and Conservative, enacted a series of tax cuts that dropped the corporate tax rate from among the highest for a major economy to among the lowest.

Around 2013, Canada passed a meaningful milestone: For the first time on record, individuals are now paying more of the country’s tax burden than corporations.

By Sanger’s estimates, the effective tax rate for corporations ― that is, the actual tax burden they have when taking into account tax breaks, deductions and subsidies ― is 18.8 per cent of taxable income (revenue minus expenses and deductions). That’s down from nearly 40 per cent in 2000.

That windfall was supposed to result in business investment that created jobs and made Canada’s companies more productive. But Sanger ― along with many other economists ― notes this hasn’t happened.

In fact, business investment declined “in lock step” with corporate tax rates, Sanger found.

Where did the money go?

Rather than reinvesting the money, corporations have largely handed it over to shareholders in the form of higher dividends, or used it to stockpile cash, Sanger’s study concludes.

Canadian corporations now hold some $532 billion in cash that is largely unproductive in the economy ― which is why former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney called this cash hoard “dead money” in a 2012 speech.

That cash pile is “equivalent to over 23 per cent of our annual economic output and three-quarters of the federal government’s debt,” Sanger noted.

Citing research from the International Monetary Fund, Sanger argues the corporate tax cuts seen in Canada and elsewhere have helped large corporations more than small businesses. The result is that large companies have been able to compete by buying up smaller ones, rather than innovating new products.

“A lot more has been spent on mergers and acquisitions,” Sanger said in an interview. “And now people are concerned about increased monopoly power.”

With less need to compete, Canadian business profits have been on the rise ― and again, that windfall has gone to shareholders and to the corporate cash pile.

“This has led to increased inequality without the benefits trickling down,” Sanger concluded.

Air Canada CEO’s salary higher than company’s tax bill

To illustrate the point, the report gives the example of Air Canada, which it says has had an effective tax rate of 1 per cent on its profits over the past five years. 

“It gave its CEO, Calin Rovinescu, a pay package worth $11.5 million in 2018, almost twice its annual average tax payment, and 27 per cent higher than the year before,” Sanger’s report noted.

“It’s clear where the hundreds of millions it has avoided in tax has gone: not to its workers, who have received annual 2-per-cent pay increases, nor back to the public through taxes.”

But Canada is not alone in cutting corporate taxes; one of the core arguments for the cuts over the years is that other countries are doing it, too.

This “race to the bottom” has to stop, Sanger argues ― and he’s encouraged by the fact that efforts to combat the problem are taking place at the international level.

Just days ago, Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the International Monetary Fund, called for higher taxes on the wealthy to combat growing inequality.

The fact that language like that is now coming from people near the very top of the global financial system is a sign things are changing, Sanger argues.

“People in those positions realize that something (bad) has happened and we need to reverse the trend,” he said.

OTTAWA ― The Canadian economy added 35,200 jobs in December, fuelled by a gain in full-time jobs, to post the first monthly increase in jobs since September.

Statistics Canada said Friday the unemployment rate fell to 5.6 per cent for the final month of the year, compared with a rate of 5.9 per cent in November when the country lost 71,200 jobs, the biggest monthly loss of jobs since the financial crisis.

The federal agency’s monthly labour force survey said the increase in the number of jobs in December came as full-time employment rose by 38,400 jobs. The number of part-time jobs fell by 3,200.

Watch: The most in-demand jobs in Canada. Story continues below.

 

The gain in jobs came as the number of private sector employees rose by 56,900, offset by a loss of 21,500 public sector jobs. The number of self-employed fell by 200.

The goods-producing sector added 15,700 jobs, helped by a gain of 17,000 jobs in the construction industry. Meanwhile, the services-producing sector added 19,400 jobs as the accommodation and food services industry gained 24,900 jobs.

Regionally, Ontario and Quebec led the job gains.

Ontario added 25,100 jobs in December, boosted by gains in construction and public administration. Quebec added 21,100 jobs in the month, helped by gains in the accommodation and food services sector as well as manufacturing.

Newfoundland and Labrador lost 5,000 jobs in December.

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The Canadian economy added 320,300 jobs for all of 2019 including 282,800 full-time positions and 37,500 part-time jobs.

The jobs report came ahead of the Bank of Canada’s rate decision and monetary policy report later this month.

The central bank has kept its key interest rate on hold at 1.75 per cent for more than a year even as many of its international peers, including the U.S. Federal Reserve, have moved to cut rates and loosen monetary policy in response to weakness in the global economy.

The Bank of Canada has said that the Canadian economy has been resilient despite the global uncertainty caused by the trade war between the United States and China.

MONTREAL — Former SNC-Lavalin executive Sami Bebawi was sentenced to eight years and six months in prison Friday, wrapping up the last of the criminal charges brought against the engineering giant and its former employees involved in fraud and corruption in Libya.

Bebawi was impassive as he was sentenced by Superior Court Justice Guy Cournoyer, who explained he was opting for a penalty closer to the top of the scale given a number of aggravating factors in the case.

The 73-year-old had been defiant as he entered the courtroom for sentencing while pulling a carry-on suitcase.

When a reporter yelled out whether other managers from the engineering firm should be held to account and “fall on their swords,” he replied “definitely.”

A jury last month found the former head of SNC-Lavalin’s construction division guilty of paying kickbacks to foreign officials and pocketing millions as he worked to secure contracts for the company beginning in the late 1990s.

The case centred on several major infrastructure projects and dealings with Saadi Gadhafi, a son of late Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi.

The jury also heard Bebawi tried to pay off a subordinate to change his testimony so he could avoid prosecution himself.

Cournoyer pointed to several factors, including the sophisticated nature of the fraud, the degree of planning and premeditation, and Bebawi’s behaviour after the infractions had been committed.

The federal prosecutors who brought the case to trial were satisfied with the sentence, saying it brought a message of deterrence and denunciation.

Crown prosecutor Anne-Marie Manoukian called it an “embarrassment for Canadian companies to act in that kind of behaviour.”

“Our Canadian obligations with regards to our treaties and with regards to what is an infraction in Canada, that is not the way that business should be done,” she said.

The Crown had sought nine years behind bars after a jury convicted Bebawi last month of five charges including fraud, corruption of foreign officials and laundering proceeds of crime.

“It is in fact very close to what we asked the court to impose,” Manoukian said.

“There were very many aggravating circumstances in this case and very few mitigating circumstances, as the judge stated.”

Bebawi’s defence lawyers — who did not address reporters after sentencing — had countered with a suggestion of a six-year prison sentence.

Handcuffed and sitting in the prisoners’ box after sentencing, Bebawi motioned reassuringly to family members in the courtroom.

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The case returns to the court on Jan. 28 to discuss what to do with the proceeds of crime.

The sentence brings to an end a lengthy, federally led investigation and prosecution of the engineering firm and some of its employees.

In the days following the Bebawi verdict, the Montreal engineering giant also settled criminal charges on its business dealings in Libya, with its construction division pleading guilty to a single count of fraud and agreeing to a $280-million fine to be paid over five years and a three-year probation order.

The resolution brings the company closer to ending a long-standing scandal that tarnished its reputation and ensnared the highest office of the Canadian government in scandal for months.

“It’s nice to be able to close the chapter on a case that’s been going on since 2011,” Manoukian said. “To date, all the charges we have laid are all completed.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 10, 2020.

The Blues boss has played down links to the Lyon striker and says “nothing is close” when it comes to possible additions in the January window

Moussa Dembele has been mooted as a potential target for Chelsea in the January window, but Frank Lampard claims the Lyon striker is not an option that has figured prominently in his thoughts.

It has been suggested that the Blues are prepared to spend big on bringing the former Celtic frontman back to British football from France.

He is one of several options that Lampard and Co are said to have in their sights, with further firepower being sought now that a transfer embargo has been lifted.

The Chelsea boss has, however, sought to distance himself from a talented 23-year-old frontman.

Quizzed on the links to Dembele, Lampard said: “He is a player I know and the club know. I am surprised to see his name pop up so regularly when it is not popping up so regularly in my conversations to be brutally honest.

“There are quite a few players in the last week that I can say the same about. I respect and I know he is another team’s player. Of course, and I have spoken about, the need to strengthen in high areas with goalscorers.

“We have been found pretty short in the home games recently. The idea of people being clinical – they are hard to find. I will only go that way if I know we are improving the squad that we have already.

“At the minute, we are still working very hard on the training ground and in games to get that right ourselves. I don’t want to go cut and dry on anybody [regarding Dembele], as I said to you, it is not one I am openly talking about. If it is a decision then I will be a big part of that decision.”

Talk of Chelsea bringing in another striker has intensified amid the rumours that attacking departures are imminent in west London.

Michy Batshuayi has been linked with another loan spell away from Stamford Bridge, while Olivier Giroud is still searching for regular game time.

The World Cup-winning Frenchman is closing in on a move to Serie A giants Inter, but Lampard insists no agreement has been reached as yet.

He said of Giroud: “I said it after our last game, with Oli the situation is if it is right for everybody, first and foremost that’s us the club, because he is under contract then we will look at whether he will leave the club.

“I think he has been a great professional here. He has trained brilliantly through this season even without many opportunities. So I hold him in a high regard in that respect but I still have to make a decision for the football club and nothing is done yet.

“I think everyone is talking about it [Giroud potentially leaving] so I am not going to beat around the bush. I think his agent has spoken to the club [Inter] but until we decide it is the right thing then it is not done.”

Lampard added on whether any transfers are imminent: “No, not at the moment but when I say that, what is close? It is January. I have said if it is right then we will look at it. We are not imminent, you are not going to have any big news today or tomorrow.”

Chelsea, who continue to occupy fourth spot in the Premier League table, will be back in action on Saturday when they take in a home date with Burnley.

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