Fun The lighter side of life; and more great PQ giveaways

Accountants dump Trump

Accountancy firm Mazars has cut ties with immediate past President Donald Trump, saying it can no longer stand by the financial statements it prepared for Trump’s businesses between 2011 and 2020. In a letter to the Trump Organisation, the firm said the statements it prepared cannot be relied upon when assessing the financial health of the company. The move comes amid ongoing criminal and civil investigations into whether Trump fraudulently inflated the value of his assets.

Credit Suisse in dirty money laundering case

Credit Suisse is facing charges in Switzerland for helping a gang of Bulgarian drug traffickers clean millions of euros of dirty money. Swiss prosecutors are asking for £34million in damages from the bank. They claim weak internal controls allowed the criminal gang to wash their ill-gotten gains for four years, between 2004 and 2008. The indictment, which is more than 500 pages long, describes how gang members arrived at the bank with suitcases stuffed with cash. Credit Suisse has denied any wrongdoing and claims the case is meritless and intends to defend itself rigorously in court.

Man cave demolition order

Accountant Graham Wildin has been ordered to demolish ‘Britain’s best man cave’ and faces a tax bill of £300,000 to boot. The 10,000 square feet complex, built in his garden, includes a bowling alley, cinema, squash courts, casino and bar! Wildin claimed the £200,000 extension would be made available to people who rented holiday accommodation, so was tax deductible. Unfortunately for him, a tax tribunal rejected his claim as they believed the complex was ‘for private enjoyment of his immediate family circle’. He now has to pay £83,382.78 in income tax, £157,460 VAT, and tax overdue penalties and surcharges of £56,787.87. That all adds up to £297,630.65.

STRANGER THING: City A.M. recently reported that the US copyright office has ruled that artificial intelligence (AI) should not be allowed to copyright their own work, stating that copyright laws only protect “the fruits of intellectual labour” that are “funded in the creative powers of the human mind”.

Neil Young row could be impaired!

Neil Young’s row with Spotfiy led to serious accounting questions for the company who owns 50% of his back catalogue – Hipgnosis. Shareholders want to how the $150 million investment in Neil Young’s music works, and there is talk of a possible writedown. Analysts said that the singer’s request that his song are taken down from the Spotify streaming service means the Hipgnosis books needed to be impaired (a permanent reduction in the value of a company asset). It seems Young is still the master of his music, despite taking the money!

Hardest workers come from Sheffield

Sheffield has been named as the city with the hardest workers in the UK. Employees in the Steel City work the longest hours, followed by Belfast and Glasgow. Research by Office Freedom found that staff in Leeds drink the most tea and coffee – four cups a day. Bristolians enjoyed the longest lunch breaks at half an hour. The study also found that staff felt they were working longer hours since the pandemic, but seven in 10 said they now enjoy their work more.

’ W E V E G O T T H E L O T

200 hard puzzles

If you are a big fan of Sudoku Puzzles, then this book will be a great prize for you! We have three copies of ‘200 Hard Sudoku puzzles’ to give away this month, and as it says on the cover there are 200 sudokus inside to keep you entertained. They come in two different levels and you get four puzzles per page. To be in with a chance of winning one of the three puzzle books this month simply email your name and address to giveways@pqmagazine.com. Head up your email ‘200’.

Big book of Su Doku

This bumper collection of easy, medium and difficult Su Doku puzzles will test your mental dexterity, powers of logic and deduction. You will find 100 easy, 100 medium and 100 hard puzzles in this collection so you can gauge your progress through the levels. You will find the solutions at the back of the book.

Keep your mind sharp and test your powers of deductive reasoning. Ideal for whiling away the time while travelling, holidaying or relaxing at home. We have three books to give away. To be entered into the free draw simply send your name and address to giveways@pqmagazine.com and we will do the rest. Head up your email ‘Big Book’.

Terms and conditions: One entry per giveaway please. You must send your name and address to be entered for the draw. All giveaway entries must be received by Friday 15 April 2022. The main draw will take place on Monday 18 April 2022. TO ENTER THESE GIVEAWAYS EMAIL GIVEAWAYS@PQMAGAZINE.COM