http://www.watsonwyatt.com Latest Watson Wyatt International Articles and News en-us Copyright 2008 Watson Wyatt Worldwide http://backend.userland.com/rss091 5/9/2008 1:10:08 PM 20 Call for clarification on cross-border pensions Watson Wyatt welcomes calls for urgent clarification of what constitutes cross-border pensions activity. [EUROPE]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=18916Pooling networks have grown in popularity in recent years as multinational companies have realized they can use them for a variety of purposes – negotiating down insurance rates, collecting data and aggregating content to meet disclosure rules. [GLOBAL]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=18872Are you considering doing business in Russia? Already there? Then take note: Things are changing on the pensions landscape. [UNITED STATES]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=18793China. Russia. Poland. Singapore. Mexico. With stiffer global competition and a weak U.S. dollar, many companies are considering expansion into these and other countries. The reasons are simple: To create new markets for products and services, establish a foothold for future business in a particular region and source more efficient pools of labor. [UNITED STATES]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=17924China’s new labor contract law is just 14 pages long, but its impact looms large for any company with employees in that country. [UNITED STATES]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=18664Watson Wyatt, the leading global consulting firm, has launched a major recruitment advertising campaign in the UK at the start of the new year. [EUROPE]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=18487On October 25, House Ways and Means Chairman Charles Rangel (D-New York) introduced the Tax Reduction and Reform Act of 2007, which he describes as the most comprehensive tax legislation since the Tax Reform Act of 1986. The bill would permanently repeal the alternative minimum tax (AMT), treat most tax-carried interest as ordinary income, modify the unrelated-business-income tax rules and reduce the corporate tax bill. [UNITED STATES]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=18349Watson Wyatt, a leading global consulting firm, announced today that it will open an office in partnership with the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) in Dubai. [GLOBAL]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=18216The House approved the Tax Collection Responsibility Act (H.R.3056) on October 10. The legislation would prohibit the IRS from using private debt collectors. It also would impose so-called mark-to-market taxation on expatriates, which would affect plan administration and communication for employers. [UNITED STATES]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=18173WASHINGTON, June 26, 2007 – In an era of increasingly sophisticated investment choices, many multinational companies are reexamining global investment policies and risk management strategies related to their retirement plans, a new survey by Watson Wyatt Worldwide, a leading global consulting firm, has found. [UNITED STATES]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=17514Watson Wyatt Worldwide, a leading global consulting firm, announced today the intention to acquire Heissmann, Germany’s premier firm of actuarial, benefits and human resources consultants. [GLOBAL]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=17391A landmark labor rights law that would place more emphasis on employee protection and strengthen the hand of unions is now on the national legislature’s docket, having been tabled for a third reading later in 2007. If passed by the National People’s Congress (NPC), it would be the country’s first specific law governing labor contracts and would have a significant impact on employers. [CHINA]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=17385Pooling networks have grown in popularity in recent years as multinational companies have realized they can use them for a variety of purposes – negotiating down insurance rates, collecting data and aggregating content to meet disclosure rules. [GLOBAL]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=17234Chinese workers are far less satisfied with their pay and benefit packages than workers in the rest of Asia-Pacific and in the United States, according to a survey by Watson Wyatt Worldwide, a leading global consulting firm. This could pose challenges for multinational employers in China’s rigid labor market. [GLOBAL]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=17167WASHINGTON, February 2, 2007 – Watson Wyatt Worldwide, a leading global consulting firm, today announced the completion of the acquisition of Watson Wyatt Brans & Co., its long-time alliance partner in the Netherlands. [GLOBAL]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=17015Watson Wyatt Worldwide, a leading global consulting firm, announced today the intention to acquire its alliance partner in the Netherlands, Watson Wyatt Brans & Co. A definitive agreement is expected to be signed in the first quarter of 2007. [GLOBAL]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=16877On October 11, 2006, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) published its consultation document on the amendments to the pension parts of the Employment Equality (Age) Discrimination Regulations 2006 that became effective on 1 October 2006 and which implements the provisions of the age strand of the EU’s Directive (2000/78/EC) on equal treatment, outlawing both direct and indirect discrimination on the grounds of age in relation to employment and vocational training. [UNITED KINGDOM]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=16614A new social security agreement has been concluded between Australia and Switzerland. The agreement will include clauses in relation to superannuation which are designed to avoid double contributions when Australians are sent to work temporarily in Switzerland or when Swiss workers are sent to work temporarily in Australia. [AUSTRALIA]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=16599In a press release issued on October 12, 2006, the European Commission announced that it has decided to commence proceedings against the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland in relation to implementation of Directive 2003/41/EC on the activities and supervision of institutions for occupational retirement provision (the IORP Directive). [EUROPEAN UNION]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=16600The Italian Pension Fund supervisory authority, COVIP, recently issued guidelines on the regulatory structure for supplementary pensions. This move, presaged in the legislative decree no. 252 of 5 December 2005. [ITALY]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=16342