| Growth drivers in place
Demand for infrastructure and construction equipment (ICE) is set to increase, given the growing thrust on infrastructure development. The Eleventh Five Year Plan, entailing an investment of about $492 billion on infrastructure projects alone, is likely to be the main growth driver (incremental investment of about $40 billion annually). While this will directly benefit engineering and construction companies, it will also buoy the demand outlook for the equipment industry. In addition to this, the fact that equipment costs typically constitute about 4-24 per cent of the total project cost also brings to fore the growth that this industry could witness. Notably, the equipment industry has grown by about 25-30 per cent annually over the past couple of years. The availability of easy credit options to purchase infrastructure and construction equipment is also a positive.
Madigan's proposal would overhaul Gaming Board
SPRINGFIELD - Riverboat gambling is big business in Illinois, and it soon could get much bigger - a major expansion could put the state in the company of Nevada and New Jersey as the nation's major gambling destinations. Before that happens, House Speaker Michael Madigan said the obscure board that regulates the casino industry needs an overhaul. Madigan wants to revamp the Illinois Gaming Board with five new members vetted by a blue-ribbon panel, separate the board from the state agency that oversees it and hire a gaming enforcement director and inspector general to root out state gaming and ethics law violations. "There's nothing wrong with the current Gaming Board. They've done a good job," Madigan said at a recent news conference in Chicago announcing his proposal.
Shrinking schools: Statewide student decline takes extra toll on rural communities
Bozeman school administrators plan $80 million in building projects over the next four years, while Roy's superintendent must cope with having no music program, no business classes and no home economics class to offer his students. "I'm really a little nervous," said Dustin Sturm, superintendent, bus driver, math teacher, basketball coach and driver's education teacher for the district 36 miles northeast of Lewistown. .
Bommarito opens Pontiac franchise in West County
This month, Bommarito Automotive Group will add Pontiac to its West County franchise portfolio, four months after selling its South County Pontiac franchise. Earlier this year, Bommarito agreed with General Motors to sell its South County Pontiac franchise in exchange for Chevrolet, one of GM's most coveted franchises, according to a release. Four months later, General Motors awarded the return of Pontiac to Bommarito at its 15736 Manchester Road location in West County. Bommarito was also recently awarded Honda and its second Volkswagen franchise in Hazelwood, next to the Bommarito Business Center. Both facilities are currently under construction and scheduled to open in December 2007. Ellisville-based Bommarito Automotive Group operates 16 franchises throughout St.
Madigan: Illinois Needs Casino Regulation Overhaul
Riverboat gambling already is big business in Illinois, but soon could get much bigger -- a major expansion could put the state in the company of Nevada and New Jersey as the nation's major gambling destinations. Before that happens, though, House Speaker Michael Madigan says the obscure board that regulates the casino industry needs an overhaul. Madigan wants to revamp the Illinois Gaming Board with five new members vetted by a blue-ribbon panel, separate the board from the state agency that currently oversees it and hire a gaming enforcement director and inspector general to root out state gaming and ethics law violations. "There's nothing wrong with the current Gaming Board. They've done a good job," Madigan said at a recent news conference in Chicago announcing his proposal. "We have to change the Illinois gaming regulation.
Group taps into fear to blast Texas business tax
Radio ads in San Antonio, Austin, Dallas and Houston draw on tidal waves and scary movies to make a point about something they paint as just as frightening: Texas' new business tax. "It's the difference between a tiny drop and a tidal wave. Because of the new Texas Margins Tax, small-business owners may see a slight drop in property taxes, but their business tax will increase up to 1,000 percent," says the script for one of the ads by the National Federation of Independent Business. A second ad begins, " 'Tax Rage in Texas.' It's not a scary movie. It's a scary development for small-business owners across our state. Many small-business owners are seeing their tax bill increase 200, 400, even 1,000 percent!" The campaign is a membership drive for the small-business group, but it's also an effort to urge legislative changes to the expanded business tax part of a package that also lowered local school property tax rates, and to make the tax a top 2008 campaign issue.
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