Italy has it the worst when it comes to taxes, according to Institut Constant de Rebecque. The Lausanne, Switzerland-based libertarian think tank ranked the country number one on the "tax oppression index" out of the 30 member states of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The index takes into account a number of factors from straightforward tax-burden measures to laws related to financial privacy.

Do tax advantage leases force companies to choose between safety and savings? That's what legal blogger Sarah Lawsky looked into after the Washington Metro train crash last month. She found that the Washington Metro Area Transit Authority's (WMATA) "tax advantage leases" (basically standard sale-leaseback transactions) do not allow WMATA to break its lease if safer equipment becomes available, essentially allowing tax considerations to outweigh safety concerns.

The Supreme Court is staying out of states' nexus decisions for now. It has declined to hear two nexus cases from the Massachusetts Supreme Court. This refusal leaves companies that do business across state lines vulnerable to states' increasingly aggressive assertion of economic nexus; it virtually guarantees ongoing confusion over the requirements of various jurisdictions; and it leaves untouched a growing obstacle to interstate commerce.

The U.S. Senate Finance Committee's proposals to increase the federal excise tax on alcohol and add a tax to "sugar-sweetened beverages" seem headed for the ever-growing discard pile of ideas for funding the Obama administration's health-care reform program. Lawmakers are backing away for several good reasons: sin taxes don't work, they result in job losses, and constituents don't like them.

Former Intel honcho Craig Barrett offered New York Times columnist Tom Friedman five steps for how the United States could and should emerge from the global economic downturn. Among them, Barrett suggests lowering corporate taxes, revamping Sarbanes-Oxley, and extending health insurance to all Americans.

COBRA has helped many unemployed individuals keep medical coverage but is one of the most mind-numbingly complex of all federal laws governing the workplace. The tax ramifications of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act's COBRA tweaks are multitude, and the IRS has been playing catch-up ever since Mr. Obama inked the bill. The agency's latest guidance comes in the form of additions to its Web page "COBRA: Answers for Employers."

Integrated business planning (IBP) can increase your organization's financial return and improve its strategic position. Learn more by reading Ventana Research's report "Integrated Business Planning: Redesigning Planning for a More Dynamic Business Environment" in the BPM Resource Center.

How are treasury departments, now in the full glare of the corporate spotlights, marshaling their resources? What strategies and technologies are they mobilizing to keep the lifeblood of their organization flowing? Help us find out by participating in this 10-minute survey. And if you respond by July 24 you’ll be entered into a drawing to win one of two $100 Visa gift cards!

The 6th Annual BPM Summit brought together some of the business world's foremost practitioners to explore the transformational role of finance in the enterprise. If you missed the live event, you can still enjoy access to the audio and slide shows from the keynote presentations at our on-demand archive.