Jeff Rogut It has been reported that the Danish government has scrapped that the so called ‘Fat Tax’ which it imposed on its people less than a year ago. The reason given for the scrapping, according to Danish health authorities, is that the policy failed to be effective. “Jobs were lost, prices were unmanageable and some reports even suggested that Danish people have been so put out by the restrictions that they’ve travelled outside the country to get their sweet fix”. But will that rational decision sway those in Australia bent on seeing increased prices through taxes and greater burdens on business? Will we actually learn from one countries experience or doom ourselves by ignoring the Danish result and try to find excuses why such a tax would work in Australia? Let’s keep an eye on this as more people seek to meddle in the lives of ordinary people. Will…

November 6, 2012 The Age If you’ve noticed a few more weekend warriors sprucing up their homes, you are probably not alone – spending on hardware, building and garden supplies increased by 4.9 per cent in the September quarter, the largest quarterly gain in five-and-a-half years. The figures are being touted as further evidence of the popularity of mini-makeovers. “People have, on the one hand, certainly pulled their heads in when it comes to the larger-scale, larger-value renovation jobs,” says Housing Industry Association chief economist Harley Dale. “But there’s quite a bit going on at the lower end of the market, where people are engaging in more modest upgrades, maintenance and small renovation jobs. “It’s all consistent with people being in a somewhat more cautious mindset than they were pre the GFC.” Dale says homeowners are “hunkering down a little bit more and in that circumstance people … naturally look…

Clancy Yeates November 7, 2012 The Age MOBILE banking is set to become more popular than banking through traditional websites within the next five years, as millions of people start managing their financial affairs through smartphones and tablets, Westpac has predicted. With the bank forecasting its digital customer numbers will balloon by more than threefold over the period, the trend is likely to change everything from the physical size of branches to the role of ATMs. Westpac’s head of retail and business banking, Jason Yetton, said on Tuesday that the rapid growth in digital transactions was one of several ”seismic” forces affecting the industry, alongside tougher capital rules and the rise of Asian economies. Websites currently dominate consumers’ interaction with their banks. At Westpac, the number of digital transactions is three times the number of transactions that occur through bank branches. But with Australians embracing smartphones faster than many countries…

CSD Staff Nov 06, 2012 Shoppers look to embrace the use of their smartphones or tablets to save time and money during the holiday shopping season. A new CouponCabin.com survey has found that more than one-quarter (27%) of U.S. adults will use their smartphone or tablet for their holiday shopping this year. In addition, 83% of those who will use their smartphone for holiday shopping this year reported they will be doing so because of the convenience. This survey was conducted online nationwide by Harris Interactive on behalf of CouponCabin.com from Sept. 26-28, 2012 among 2,523 U.S. adults aged 18 and older. The majority of smartphone users who plan to use their devices for shopping this year will use them for research. Seventy percent said they will use their smartphone to do research ahead of their shopping trips, while 59% will use it to do research in-store. When asked what…