Tax Laws

A tax is a monetary charge that is placed on a taxpayer by state and federal governments. A tax can either be direct or indirect, depending on how it is handled. Some taxes are paid directly to the government, while others, such as sales tax, are paid by stores at the time tax returns are due. When taxes are not paid to the government, severe penalties may be given to the taxpayer failing to pay. The primary purpose of taxes are to support the government, which carries out many functions, including expenditures for war, wages for law enforcement and other public services, for protection of property, funding of education, among other uses.

What are Tax Laws?
Tax laws are defined as a system of law that describes “government levies on economic transactions.” Tax laws basically describe the provisions and necessary rules of taxpayers to pay their debts to the government. If tax laws are not followed by institutions or individuals, the offending entity is criminally charged by the government. Tax laws are often a very complicated set of laws and it is quite common for the tax laws to be amended every year. It is also very common for hundreds of pages of federal tax code to be altered for the rules regarding filing income tax returns during the tax period up until April 15th. (New tax laws for the new year generally place tax return rules for the tax period of the prior year.) These new tax laws are enforced by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

Purchasing Savings Bonds:
Paying taxes and understanding tax laws is a very complicated process, and as a result, with every year comes new tax laws. For the year 2010, tax laws allow for taxpayers to use the tax refunds they receive to purchase savings bonds. The reason for this new implementation to new tax laws, is to assist all taxpaying individuals to build up their savings for after they retire. The bonds are valued up to $5,000 and are low-risk, liquid Treasury I Bonds, meaning that they are protected against inflation.

Direct Deposit:
In addition, a new direct deposit option is now available as well for the year 2010 in tax laws. This new feature helps remove the stress and hassle that the tax year requires by allowing electronic transfer of tax refunds into the financial accounts of taxpaying individuals. This helpful feature allows users to receive their tax refund within ten days of filing their taxes. This is also considered by the IRS to be the safest way to receive tax returns.

According to 2010 tax laws, a taxpayer has the option of receiving their electronic tax refund into one bank account or he or she can split it into several accounts (up to two or three). It is as simple as setting up direct deposit at a job. All that is needed is the financial account number and the routing number on the tax form.

DUI Law

DUI (driving under the influence) laws are laws against people who drive when impaired by either drugs, alcohol or other dangerous substances. Also known as DWI (driving while intoxicated), DUI laws are very strict, and depending on the actual situation, can lead to jail time and significant fines. The reason why DUI laws are strict is because of the danger of driving while impaired. According to recent studies, 39 percent of vehicle-related deaths in the United States are related to drunk driving. Also, drunk driving amounts to $51 billion in damages every year. If a death occurs in a drunk driving incident, the person accused of being drunk is usually given a lengthy prison sentence.
How Are is Guilt Established in a Drunk Driving Case?

In most cases, a person is initially suspected of driving drunk or under the influence of drugs if he or she weaves or drivers erratically. If a police officer notices anything suspicious of a driver, he or she may pull the driver over and perform a number of simple tests to see if the driver is indeed drunk or under the influence of drugs. These tests can include reciting the alphabet backwards, walking in a straight line or any other test that would prove to be difficult for an intoxicated person to perform. If the driver of the vehicle fails the test, he or she may be arrested.

If the police officer has further reason to investigate, he may perform a breathalyzer test, which calculates, roughly, the amount of alcohol in a person’s blood stream. Under DUI laws, if a person has a BAC of .08 or higher, than he or she is over the legal limit, and will be arrested for drunk driving or driving while impaired. A reading below .08 may prove to be safe for the driver, but the police officer may still have reason to arrest the driver for drunk driving if he or she was driving erratically.

Research Performed That Gives Merit to DUI Laws:
In 2009, the results of a study performed by the Public Health Law Research organization were released. The aim of the study was to conclude whether or not the DUI laws placed for drunk driving were effective in preventing people from driving on the road drunk.

The study concluded that breath testing was an effective way of providing intervention in the time of a drunk driving incident occurring. They also contributed to the reduction of danger that comes with driving impaired. The study also concluded that reducing the blood alcohol content maximum DUI law for drivers under the age of 21 would significantly reduce the dangers of driving on the road. The study also concluded that reducing the blood alcohol content maximum DUI law in all persons would significantly reduce annual deaths in drunk driving related accidents.

The study also put to rest many arguments of lowering the drinking age to 18 from 21. DUI laws and other laws set in place for the minimum age of drinking are effective and should not be changed, for the sake of the population’s safety on the road.

Labor

What are Labor Laws?
Also known as employment law, labor laws are a body of laws, rulings and precedents which go over the legal rights and obligations of employees and the employers that provide them wages for their work. Since the relationship between an employee and an employer can usually be extremely temperamental, labor laws have been established to mediate the relations between the two. Parties involved within labor law are employees, employers and trade unions.

What are Trade Unions?
In labor law, a trade union is an organization made up of workers of an organization or several organizations in the same field who have banded together to achieve a common goal. Their main focus is to establish safe working conditions within an organization and fair treatment of the workers. Trade unions usually negotiate with employers on behalf of the members so that their labor contracts are fair in all aspects, such as wages, rules and regulations, hiring procedures, firing procedures, benefits, and the safety of the workers in the work environment. Labor unions gain their power through the number of workers that are members. They can organize strikes in the company if their needs and demands are not met, they can perform collective bargaining and other political activity.

History of Labor Laws:
Labor laws were the result of workers demanding better conditions, better treatment from they’re employers, and the right to organize. It was also a way for workers to protect themselves and they’re well-being. As a result of labor laws, employer’s costs may increase because of employees demanding higher wages or by strict labor laws set in place for minimum wages. The trade unions, under labor law have gained a considerable amount of political power as well. That being said, labor law is the direct result of the struggles between interests of both the employee and the employer, as well as larger issues of society.

Contract of Employment:
In almost all countries around the world, the terms of the employee and the employer under labor law is outlined within the contract of employment. All of the obligations, what is expected of the employee and the employer are covered and mediated within it. Many of the terms and conditions in the contract are implied through common law and restrict employees from being able to agree to unfair terms in exchange for the job.

Minimum Wage:
Labor law usually states a wage in which an employer must agree to pay an worker at the bare minimum, and cannot go any lower than that wage for any reason. Countries that have minimum wage labor laws are Australia, Canada, China, Belgium, France, Greece, Hungary, India, Ireland, Japan, Korea, Netherlands, Portugal, Poland, Spain, United Kingdom, and the United States. The minimum wage is usually determined from the laws of supply and demand and acts as a price floor.

Time of Work:
Before the times of the Industrial Revolution, it was commonplace for work days to last fourteen hours. When machines started to take over factory lines, the work days, in fact, rose to about fifteen. The eight hour movement soon began to receive momentum, and the standard work day was shortened.

Adopting Children

Adoption is when an adult legally becomes the guardian of a child and assumes the rights and responsibilities of raising and providing for that child. According to adoption law, when the adoption process is completed, there is a legal relationship that has been formed between the child and adoptive parent. The child in the adoptive relationship is usually given up for adoption or his or her birth parents are unable or unfit to raise the child. In most cases, the child’s last name is changed to the adoptive family and an amended birth certificate is issued.

Adoption law varies from state to state within the United States. There are no federal or universal adoption laws, so any potential parent looking to adopt should consult with state adoption law to understand what to expect. In most cases state adoption laws allow for one of two types of adoption– open and closed adoption. According to some state adoption laws, however, only allow one of these two types of adoption are allowed.

Open Adoption:
An open adoption is an adoptive process by which the birth parent(s) choose the family that their child is adopted to. In some cases, open adoption allows for the birth parent(s) to have a relationship with the child in some capacity, even though adoption law permits the adoptive parents the legal responsibility for the child. Other times, the birth parent(s) do not stay in contact with the child, but may be contacted in the future as the child gets older and the adoption files are unlocked. Open adoption is a relatively new type of adoption process that has not traditionally been allowed or recommended by adoption law.

Closed Adoption:
Closed adoption, according to state adoption law, involves a birth parent(s) to give up all their rights to a child and they agree to allow an adoption agency to take over the process of adopting the child to another family. Once a birth parent has given up the right to raise his or her child, they cannot revoke that forfeiture according to adoption laws.

Does the Federal Government Have a Say in Adoption Law?
Generally, state adoption laws have the final say in what is and is not allowed during adoption procedures. Even so, Congress has put money into many state adoption programs, in return for the cooperation of several federal adoption mandates.

Adoption Procedure:
While adoption processes may vary from state to state, the general process of adoption typically carries out the same way in all states. If potential parents have made the decision to adopt a child, their first task is to petition a court to grant them adoption. Once they have filed the adoption papers, they are given a date for a home study, which involves a social worker examining the potential parents’ home and behavior. Once the social worker approves the adoptive parents for adoption, the adoption process moves into the hands of an agency, which helps search for a child based on criteria you are looking for. Once a child is found, the final stages of the adoption process can begin. If it is an open adoption, the birth parents are usually involved in the interviewing process of the adoptive parents. The entire process can take anywhere from several months to several years.

Family Law Marriage

Marriage is considered to be one of the prime focuses in family law. Marriage is considered to be the contract or legal union between a man and a woman to create a kinship between the two, but can also, in some jurisdictions, be a legal union between two members of the same sex. A marriage is an acknowledgement that a intimate, close and sexual relationship exists between two people. Another term for marriage would be matrimony, with the initial ceremony that establishes marriage is called a wedding. Marriage is defined slightly different, but with the same principles in many cultures throughout the world.

Reasons for a Couple to Enter into Marriage:
The reasons for a couple to enter into marriage in family law varies, but can be for a number of reasons. This can include legal reasons, in which a couple desires to enjoy the family laws and benefits from which marriage gives. There is also a social reason to enter into marriage, which shows a sense of accomplishments within many societies. In addition, marriage can also be entered into if there is a strong physical and emotional connection between both parties, and marriage is a way, under family law, to express their love for each other. Marriage is also symbolic in that it is the start of a nuclear family, and in many religions, marriage is the only right way to start a family.

Obligations of Marriage Under Family Laws:
Marriage, in almost all cultures is an act that show strong commitment between two persons. Both parties in marriage, under family law, are obligated to carry out a certain number of responsibilities. In some societies, these obligations extend as far as family members of the other party involved in the marriage. Also, all cultures recognize adultery, among other acts as a violation of the holy union of marriage.

Marriage as a Family Law:
Marriage is symbolic of the love between two people, but when it comes down to it, marriage is also a legal contract between those persons. Therefore, it is an essential part of family law that is recognized in both state and religious authorities. Due to the fact that marriage is often recognized in both religious and governmental jurisdictions, the social status of the people involved in the marriage are also changed dramatically.

States have the right to govern certain marriage family laws. This includes disallowing interracial couples from getting married, but recently, the United States Supreme Court has found this to be unconstitutional. Also, laws of certain states are not required to be recognized by other states. For example, a same-sex couple that has been married in Massachusetts is not recognized in Texas.

Requirements of Marriage:
A person has to be of a certain age in order to consent to marry and must have a certain degree of mental capacity to consent to marriage. If they are below the age of consent, they must receive permission from a parent or guardian.