Shakespeare on Machiavelli: The Prince in Richard III Essay -- Richa

Shakespeare on Machiavelli:   The Prince in Richard III   Ã‚  Ã‚   According to many, Shakespeare intentionally portrays Richard III in ways that would have the world hail him as the ultimate Machiavel.   This build up only serves to further the dramatic irony when Richard falls from his throne.   The nature of Richard's character is key to discovering the commentary Shakespeare is delivering on the nature of tyrants.   By setting up Richard to be seen as the ultimate Machiavel, only to have him utterly destroyed, Shakespeare makes a dramatic commentary on the frailty of tyranny and such men as would aspire to tyrannical rule.    From the outset of the play, it is obvious that Richard subscribes to the majority of the Machiavellian principles.   Certainly, he is not ashamed or afraid to plot heinous murder, and he does so with an ever-present false front.   "I do mistake my person all this while,"1 he muses, plotting Anne's death minutes after having won her hand.   He will not even entertain the ideas in public, demanding they "Dive...down to [his] soul."2 He knows that he must be cunning and soulless to succeed in his tasks.   Richard also knows it is essential to guard against the hatred of the populace, as Machiavelli warned.      He breeds anger in Clarence and the populace, not of himself, but of Edward and the rightful heirs.   "We are not safe, Clarence, we are not safe,"3 he exclaims as his brother is hauled away to the tower. He preys on the "hateful luxury And bestial appetite"4 of the citizenry, catapulting himself to the thrown over a heap of bodies: deaths that hang on his head.   But, it is Richard's attitude that his end goal of the crown justifies the murderous means that so closely links ... ...t meet Shakespeare's demands the chances are slim.   He must be a paradox: amoral and god fearing.    1 Act I. Sc. II. Ln. 257 2 Act I. Sc. I. Ln. 40 3 Act I. Sc. I. Ln. 70 4 Act III. Sc. V. Ln. 79-80 5 Act IV. Sc. II. Ln. 60-5 6 Act I. Sc. II. Ln. 125-8 7 Act IV. Sc. IV. Ln. 51-2 8 Act IV. Sc. IV. Ln. 397-400 9 Act V. Sc. III. Ln. 179 10 Act V. Sc. III. Ln. 201-2 11 Act I. Sc. I. Ln. 1 12 Act I. Sc. I. Ln. 20 13 Act I. Sc. I. Ln. 28, 30    Works Cited and Consulted: Nicole Machiavelli,   The Prince, pp. 359-386.   Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company, Dubuque, Iowa, 1998. Ornstein, Richard.   "Richard III."   Richard III.   New York: Signet Classic, 1988.   239-264. Shakespeare, William. Richard III. The Norton Shakespeare. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt. (New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 1997), 515-600.

Fredrick Douglas Paper

Fredrick Douglass The analysis By Justin Ruano 11/14/11 Hist Am Civ 1607-1877 [pic] Have you ever wondered to yourself if you firmly belief in something that you could understand the opposite side of it? Well if you just so happened to believe in slavery and I were to tell you a story about an American born slave that is making his case to abolish I, would you listen? In the book Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass, An American slave & Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Fredrick Douglass in his portion of the book goes on to make his case that slavery should be abolished.The way he goes about reasoning why it should be abolished is first he tells us about his experience during his period of slavery and in that experience it explains with a main point why and how it works. Secondly, he uses this book as a tool to help expose the true evil of slavery and uses once again experience which is a helpful thing. Lastly, he uses the fact that slave owners make the slaves ignorant o f their age, where they were born, and who their parents are. Fredrick Douglass throughout this book uses experiences to show why slavery should be abolished.Fredrick Douglass was born in 1818 and he died in 1895, and he was born into slavery in Talbot Country, Maryland. (Fredrick Douglass facts page) In chapter 1, Fredrick Douglass said that he had witnessed these beatings and that it had happened often. â€Å"I remember the first time I ever witnessed this horrible exhibition. I was quite a child, but I well remembered it. †¦ It was the first of a long series of such outrages, of which I was doomed to be a witness and a participant†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Douglass pg 21) For example, the last paragraph of( page 21) going to( page 22) is the first experience of the beatings he witnessed. He took her into the kitchen, and stripped her from neck to waist, leaving her neck, shoulders, and back entirely naked†¦. † By using experiences, he is able to show people that even some s lave owners kill their slaves from beating. Murder is a sin especially for the religious people who were not so affected by this. For example on the bottom of (page 25) Fredrick Douglass Notes that Mr. Severe was called a very cruel man. Also noted that he had seen him whip a woman and take great pleasure in doing so. Since when does anyone take pleasure in torturing people is my question.For Fredrick Douglass, this book was his greatest resource to convincing people to abolish slavery because, slavery did not affect many people and especially for white people, they of course were not going to care. The challenge fir Douglass was that people didn’t know and they didn’t care. That was his biggest challenge. Books don’t lie. For Fredrick Douglass, he would have liked to be alive during the time slavery was officially gone. For example why this book helped him make his case is because he went through these things and witnessed these events. His biography of how sla very really was like back then.Beatings to the point slaves would die due to a lot of bleeding. The main point for this reason of how he went about to explain his case is this book. He wrote it with events, names, dates. Things that define what history is. Another example of how his book was a tool to help him make his case is that throughout this whole book he talked about a lot of violence from the beatings that he witnessed. In the First chapter he mentioned how he was roughly 7 years old and he witnessed a brutal beating his master gave one of the salves that was with Fredrick Douglass. Pg 21) Finally, by using this book as a tool he exposed evil by once again talking about his experiences about slavery. Fredrick Douglass a few times in the book says that the slave-owners tend to make the slaves ignorant of their age, where there from, and even their parents. For example, he says on the very first page of chapter one that, â€Å" By far the large part of the slaves know as litt le of their ages as horses know of theirs, and it is the wish of most masters within my knowledge to keep their slaves thus ignorant. †(Douglass pg 17) For someone to not know their age or mainly anything about themselves is pretty ridiculous.He also says on the same page that he doesn’t really know anyone who even knows their own birthday, nor is he knowledgeable of his age. For him just trying to make his case about slavery should be abolished is hard enough. To even have a hard time to find out his age is also pretty unbelievable. Also for him once again trying to make a case that it should be abolished was very difficult but to not even recall his mother’s death or anything is pretty sad. For the people he is trying to convince is also an advance fro his case because he must know that none of them would want to be like him not remembering or knowing anything about himself.Lastly, For Fredrick Douglass to be able to learn his year of birth from a conversation he overheard from his master when trying to make his case would in his mind help him to win the audience he has. Throughout the course of the book Fredrick Douglass makes his case about how slavery should be abolished. The way he goes about that is he talks about his experiences so that his audience will get a good view of exactly what is going on and then determine what works. He then uses the book as a tool so that he has an even stronger case about why it should be abolished.Finally, he talks about how the slave-owners would rather have their slaves to be ignorant about how exactly they are and when they were born, age, and even parents. Hes uses these three things to make his case of why slavery should be abolished and the biggest â€Å"how† is using the book as a tool. Personal Reaction to Fredrick Douglass Part of reading My personal reaction to the book is that I thought there was a lot of emotion that he spilled out into this book and that is what truly made this book enjoyable for me to read. Biographies are my favorite types of books.When I first picked up this book I though it wasn’t going to be a very good book because reading books about someone’s slavery story isn’t what I like to read but as I started to get into the book I thought it was very hard to put down and it was one of the best books that I have read. It was something new to me by reading it but to me it was very good about learning how his life basically went dealing with being a slave and then trying to argue how slavery should be abolished. Very good narrative and I would defitnely recommend this book for someone to read.

Fast food restaurant Essay

All such food is categorized as fast food which can be prepared and served quickly. Restaurants and kiosks provide fast food with precooked or preheated ingredients and usually served at a packaged form (Pollan, 2009). In the beginning, American hamburger and fries was considered as the traditional fast food but now the field has been widely diversified and food like pizzas, fish and chips, burgers from McDonalds and Kentucky Fried Chicken etc. are all considered fast food. Fast food market has shown an enormous and steady growth. In 2006 alone the market has reached to $102. 4 billion with an annual growth rate of 4. 8% (Adams, 2007). Fast food chains like McDonalds operate in more than 126 countries in six continents having more than 31,000 restaurants globally (Arndt, 2007). Burger King, another worldwide fast food chain, has operations in more than 65 countries of the world; KFC restaurants located over 25 countries, Subways is present in 90 countries with total 39,129 restaurants and so and so forth (Buthrie, Lin & Frazao, 2002). However, according to most of researches, fast food is not at all fit for health and can cause serious problems. According to Marion Nestle, Chair of New York University’s Department of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health, â€Å"the increased calories in American diets come from eating more food in general, but especially more of foods high in fat (meat, dairy, fried foods, grain dishes with added fat), sugar (soft drinks, juice drinks, desserts), and salt (snack foods)† (Nestle, 2002; p. 10). This report discusses some positive as well as negative points of taking fast food. Reasons for popularity Before delving into the positive and negative aspects of fast food, it seems appropriate if we discuss the reasons of fast food popularity. The question is what compels the Americans to eat such poorly balanced food? The answer of the question is not simple and involves many factors. First of all, every culture has its own values, philosophies, and the way to react to the things occurring in their lives. These reactions depend upon the culture they belong too. In present family structure and busy life it has been observed that the increasing communication deficit between parents and children has created a gulf between parents and children. This changed life style, especially in low-income and single-parent families, has compelled the children to take unhealthy and junk food more often than required (Ritzer, 2000). Advertising also played a major role in increasing the fast food popularity in America. According to National Cancer Institute, â€Å"Commercial advertisers have learned that a consistent and prominent presence in the marketplace is key to achieving and holding market share† (National Cancer Institute, 2000). Statistics revealed that in 2004 the total expenditure of different food items including fast food restaurants was approximately $11. 26 billion. Fast food advertisers target ethnic minorities directly through their own media outlets and programs. Food items which are advertised for ethnic minorities are usually unbalanced and unhealthy as compared to the food advertised for general audience (Reyes, 2005). Research conducted in 2005 depicted that more than 52 percent of food items advertisement published in Hispanic fashion and social magazines were advertised unhealthy and unbalanced food as compared to 29 percent such advertisements published in general magazines (Duerksen et.al. , 2005). Fast food items advertising usually target children in order to create and establish brand loyalty at an early age (Wiecha et al. , 2006). Among the six brands which have enjoyed very strong recognition in children, four are related to food, i. e. Cheerios, McDonald’s, Pop-Tarts, and Coke (Comiteau, 2003). These companies relied on the fact that the children would emotionally connected to these companies even in their adulthood (Comiteau, 2003). Nevertheless, recent research shows that consumers prefer to buy fast food from supermarkets. Because they have the perception that supermarkets provide healthier food options ( Advertising and marketing very significantly influence the buying behavior of people and the notion cannot be rejected in totality that frequent use of this unhealthy food is a major cause of increasing obesity. According to a study, television advertisements and television viewing is directly associated with popularity of junk food (Bowman et al. , 2004). Advantages of using fast food The basic and most obvious advantage of fast food is its cost and speed. Fast food is very easy and quick to prepare and serve. As discussed above, the number of single parent household is continuously increasing in United States. Such single parents not only have to work to earn a respectable living but also have to prepare food for the family. For such persons fast food is an easy and cost effective solution. Fast food not only prepared at home easily but can also be ordered from fast food restaurants which usually have special offers and deals available to make it cheaper or more cost effective. Fast food comprises and enjoys the biggest chunk of food industry. It has, in United States alone, sale of $120 billion with the help of more than 200,000 restaurants. Fast food industry has been very successful in term of operation expansion by utilizing international franchising. The administration of different fast food companies have learned by the passage of time how to make the most of the sales potential of a fast food franchise by practically adopting an idea by giving it a functional methodology. This is one main cause why fast food franchises have been a symbol of success among the contemporary food businesses. Fast food industry gives minimal wages and financial benefits to their workers (McDonald’s Australia); nevertheless, it provides jobs to approximately 3. 5 million people.

Hardware and Software Selection Paper Essay

Technology plays a very important role in businesses because it helps make things so much easier as far as recording the information, create financial statements, and account management. Thus, computer hardware is what the companies use for data storage, and software packages are the tools businesses use to help the business run faster and easier. There are different types of hardware and software that the companies have to choose wisely to fit and benefit their businesses. It is important to have the hardware that help the company store, organize, manipulate, and update the amount of business information with the assistance of database management programs because the company would use the programs to keep track with its customers, employees, suppliers, and inventory. Also, the most important is that the programs allow the accountants and accounting clerks keep track and maintain with the company’s financial reports, and the programs allow them to manage the payrolls as well a s the account receivable and account payable to avoid error financial reports and tax returns. Riordan AIS Integration and End-User Information Access Technology plays a very important role in all types of businesses because it helps the organizations get things done must fast, easy, and secure. It also allows the organizations to maintenance their businesses as well as keep track with the clients or consumers. Thus, many organizations use hardware to record the company’s information, they also use the computer software as a method to protect their computers against hackers attack and other Internet treats. However, there are certain people in different level allow  having access to the information, and the people who need access to the information would be the accountants (general and supervisors), accounting clerks, director of accounting and finance, the president, CEO, CFO, and COO. The accounting clerks needs to access to the information to edit or enter payments, billings, and adjustment of credit or debit for the business, and they also need to access to the General Ledger and Month end reports to ensure all the inf ormation is corrected to avoid future problems. Also, the general accountant and accounting supervisors need to view the reports to ensure the accounting clerks complete their tasks by enter all the information before month end. Once all the information are entered the director of accounting and finance would access to review the reports or edit them if needed to ensure that the finance are corrected such as Account Payable and Credit, and they will base on the information and number on the reports to make best decisions for the business. On the other hand, the president, CEO, CFO, and COO would access to the entire system to review all the reports such as month end reports and payment reports in order to see if the company is making or losing money. The bottom line would show that either the company is making profits or losing money and which areas. It is important for the reports to be accurate because the management would base on the information shows on these reports to make best decision for the business as well as the compan y. Riordan AIS Integration and Internal Controls Integrating the accounts receivable accounting process into an automated system requires specific internal controls to protect the company against fraud and theft. An efficient control system will protect the confidence of information, quickly identify errors, and remove the opportunity of compromise. Setting controls should also ensure the accuracy of data entered into the accounts receivable ledger, ensure a segregation of duties, and promote a timely presentation of financial reports in accordance with the generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). In accordance with the Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) Act, the company must ensure the integrity of all financial information. To determine the effectiveness of an automated accounts receivable process a system must be put in place to monitor it. Written control policies must be developed for all employees with access to  automated systems or relative information. There must be a set protocol implemented for all activities. Management must be familiar with and closely monitor daily activities. Infogix, Inc. is a software company that helps businesses to monitor and analyze information. Independent, automated controls are implemented to monitor information from beginning to end. Infogix controls make sure that all activities comply with COBIT, all transactions are validated, and subsequently compliance costs are reduced. AIS Integration and Reporting Processes Enterprise integration of centralized accounting information system (â€Å"AIS†) at Riordan Manufacturing, Inc. (â€Å"Riordan†) brings a number of challenges with respect to reporting processes. Previously, Riordan’s various AIS deployed in regional offices â€Å"[have] been unable to achieve anything remotely resembling ‘seamless compatibility'† (Apollo Group, Inc., 2013, Riordan—Finance Overview, para. 5), with a corresponding lack of information portability and accessibility between offices. A centralized data warehouse for Riordan allows all regional offices to enter and store accounts receivable data in uniform data tables and procedures, permitting more easily comprehended data in nearly real-time accessibility. This enhanced data storage capacity also requires enhanced information reporting processes, with sufficiently powerful and flexible hardware and software packages to meet the complex and diverse needs of Riordan’s central administration and its many regional offices. Hardware Proposals Riordan’s multiple regional offices present a diverse requirement in terms of hardware needs. Most office workers will find their tasks sufficiently satisfied with standard personal computers, without requiring much customization by the organization aside from adherence to security protocol. Many sales and executive staff will require far more complex and diverse hardware packages in their work. Laptop computers allow nearly all capabilities of a personal computer in a more portable device, but may yet be too bulky when literally on the move. To this end, tablet computers and smart-phones allow access to the Internet and thus—with the proper credentials and software—sufficient accessibility to organizational information systems and communication networks. However, a balance must be  found between convenience and cost-effectiveness in terms of actual hardware selection in these circumstances. Reporting Software Proposals Two powerful pieces of software for business reporting purposes are Crystal Reports and Business Objects. According to the marketing department of its publisher, Crystal Reports is â€Å"powerful, user-friendly applications †¦ [that] can help you deliver key insights to the right decision maker, at the right time, in the right format† (SAP, 2014, para. 1). This sort of software is a SQL programming tool to design and produce custom, automated reports from a variety of data sources in an organizational information system. The program engine may also be integrated into custom designed data entry and reporting software packages from other third-party vendors, allowing these powerful reports to be easily incorporated into packages custom designed to meet the organization’s informational needs. AIS Integration with Company Internet and Intranet Portals The company’s intranet should have information that allows employees to be more knowledgeable about the company. It should include items such as an employee directory; benefit plan details; structural information regarding the company; the company’s mission statement, goals, and objectives; and request forms for supplies and processes. Although detailed information regarding Accounts Receivable would not be shared on the Intranet, the large picture of the financial information for the company should be on the Intranet for employees to view. This could include quarterly financial reports, with the total accounts receivable amount integrated into the report. This would allow employees to feel empowered by knowing how the company is handling money. It also gives employees a feeling of contentment knowing that they are secure in their organization. In conclusion, it is important for the company to choose the best hardware and software to fit and benefit the company to ensur e that it aids the business as well as creating the financial reports and keep track with its customers. References Apollo Group, Inc. (2013). Virtual organizations portal—Riordan—Company intranet—Homepage. Retrieved from: https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/secure/aapd/cist/VOP/Business/Riordan/index.asp Apollo Group, Inc. (2013). Virtual organizations portal—Riordan—Company intranet—Finance overview. Retrieved from: https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/secure/aapd/cist/VOP/Business/Riordan/Finance/Overview.asp Bagranoff, N. A., Norman, C. S., Simkin, M. G. (2008). Core concepts of accounting information systems (10th ed.). New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Retrieved from University of Phoenix ACC/340—Accounting Information Systems—Course Materials. SAP.com (2014) Empower your small business with SAP Crystal Reports. Retrieved from: http://www.sap.com/solution/sme/software/analytics/crystal-reports/index.html

What I hope to gain from a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration

Management studies has always interested me and I am currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in business administration to work towards my aims and objectives which are described below and to pursue my interest in management studies and at the same time obtain a full fledged degree in Business Administration.By working towards this degree I hope to become a more well rounded personality alongside gaining more knowledge, skills and expertise in the field of business and management which I can wield towards my other long term goals, to evolve into a dynamic and capable leader in the field of business.Through this Business Administration program I hope to gain maximum and up to date knowledge and skills including technical skills to be successful in any area of business administration. I want to be able to understand the theoretical aspects of the knowledge and skills that I gain as well as apply them practically. I want to be able to explore and gain a thorough knowledge of conce pts, principles, theories, practices of modern business writers as well as the classical business writers.I hope that the program will enable me to build a strong foundation to pursue and be successful in any area of business administration by helping me understand and find the relation between the various interrelated areas of business administration. I hope that it would give me a good head start in analytical and strategic business studies. The skills that I wish to gain include soft skills, technical skills, analytical, mental skills, problem solving skills, negotiation skills and leadership skills. I want this program to help me improve my written and verbal communication.I want to ensure that my analytical skills are honed well to be able to analyze business conditions and decide the appropriate strategy to handle those conditions. I want to be able to hone my skills to be able to conduct research if necessary in various media and analyze the data that is gathered to reach con clusions about the business scenario. I want to be able to make presentations as and when required, to analyze the data collected and to reach business goals and to present a proposal to somebody and to negotiate and convince people in various business scenarios.I want to be able to make use of my skills and knowledge in the job market to play a good leadership and management role. I want this program to help me transform into an efficient and effective practitioner of ethical business practices. I want to be able to nurture my skills and knowledge in a rich interactive and intellectual environment by exchanging ides with other students, professors and eminent business personalities.I want to be able to take part in cultural activities and other extracurricular activities that will help me become a more balanced person and to contribute more wholesomely towards my community and my profession. I also want to go through various disciplines and understand the relationship between them and how they are relevant to Business management. I view this Business Administration program as a significant stepping-stone towards my long term goals and professional development in the field of business to enable me to turn into a competent business professional.

The negative effects of milk products on the human body Essay

The negative effects of milk products on the human body - Essay Example On the other hand, mothers' milk has six to ten times as much of the essential fatty acids, especially linoleic acid which cow's milk does not have. While animals stop taking in milk from weaning however, man is known to continue with his fill, and is in fact the only specie that drinks the milk of other species. On television healthy, beautiful people claim milk is good for the body. Dieticians insist that one has got to have milk to have calcium. Milk producers likewise advocate the benefits of calcium, vitamin D, and other nutrients. Meanwhile, mothers insist on their children to drink their milk, and schools include milk in their feeding programs. For many years also, people are taught that dairy products make up an "essential food group." And yet amidst this din, there are those who claim that milk is poison, and mention possible links to cancer or other diseases. Yet, people have grown so comfortable consuming milk and eating milk products, and for this, many do not give a second thought to the possible negative effects of milk. Worse still, they do not want to give up milk. ... n intestinal colic, intestinal irritation, intestinal bleeding, anemia, allergic reactions in infants and children as well as infections such as salmonella. There is the fear of viral infection with bovine leukemia virus or an AIDS-like virus as well as concern for childhood diabetes. Also discussed in these literatures is contamination of milk by blood and pus as well as a variety of chemicals and insecticides. Among children the problems were allergy, ear and tonsillar infections, bedwetting, asthma, intestinal bleeding, colic and childhood diabetes. In adults the problems seemed centered more around heart disease and arthritis, allergy, sinusitis, and the more serious questions of leukemia, lymphoma and cancer. According to Kradjian, none of the authors said milk was a perfect food. As if to concur to findings that milk is not good for the human body, its composition is now being sought to be altered but that it is accepted that only one institution is incapable of doing this venture.3 The following discussions include why milk and dairy products are bad, the effects of ingesting milk and dairy products, and the alternatives. It also includes the stand of the government on these products and the stand of doctors. A conclusion at the end repeats the paper's thesis that milk is bad for the body due to these named deficiencies and negative effects on the human body. Why milk and dairy products are bad Not a perfect food. That milk is a perfect food is a dairy industry myth.4 Outside of milk containing a wide range of disease-causing substances that can have a cumulative negative effect on all who consume it, milk lacks other elements.5 In 1930 Dr. G.O. Burr in Minnesota working with rats found that linoleic acid deficiencies created a deficiency syndrome. This

Taxation Law Practice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Taxation Law Practice - Essay Example In Australia, income taxes are increasingly imposed with higher income earners paying a higher percentage than lower income earners (ATO, 2007) Where income is earned in the form of capital gains on prescribed assets, only half of the gain is measurable for Capital Gains Tax (CGT) purposes if it was held for at least 12 months. If the assets were held for less than 12 months, then it is fully measurable for CGT purposes. A person's principal place of residence however is exempt from CGT. Where income is earned in the form of capital gains on prescribed assets, only half of the gain is assessable for Capital Gains Tax (CGT) purposes if it was held for at least 12 months. If the assets were held for less than 12 months, then it is fully assessable for CGT purposes. A person's principal place of residence however is exempt from CGT. Medicare (National Health Insurance) is charged at a flat 1.5% rate. If you earn more than 50,000 and do not have private health insurance you are liable for an extra 1% of your taxable income. This extra charge is known as the Medicare Levy Surcharge. Companies and corporations pay tax on profits. Not just like personal income taxes which use a progressive range, corporate taxes in Australia are calculated at a flat 30% rate. Tax is paid on corporate income at the corporate range before it is distributed to individual shareholders as dividends. A tax credit called a franking credit is provided to individuals who receive dividends to reflect the tax already paid at the corporate level a process known as dividend imputation (ATO, 2007). GOODS AND SERVICES TAXES The Federal Government levies a multi-stage tax of 10% on the supply of most and services by entities registered for Goods and Services Tax (GST). There are lots of supplies which are GST-free just like many basic foodstuffs, medical and educational services, exports; input-taxed like residential accommodation, financial services; exempt similar to Government charges; or outside the scope of GST. The profit from this tax is disseminated to the States. State governments do not charge any sales taxes though they do impose stamp duties on a series of transactions (ATO, 2007). PROPERTY TAXES Local governments are typically funded largely by property taxes on residential, industrial and commercial properties. Aside from that, some state governments charge tax on land values for investors and primary residences of high value. The state governments also charge taxes on the transfer of property title and the registration of commercial leases. Fire Service Charges are also frequently applied to domestic house insurance and business insurance contracts. These charges are required under State Government law to assist in funding the fire services in each State (ATO, 2007). EXCISE TAXES Both the federal and state governments require excise