The tax rates will be similar to income tax, but will be based on the total of employee taxable income plus employers KiwiSaver contributions. If your total is $16,800 or less, employer contributions will be taxed at 10.5%, if your total is $16,801 to $57,600 the tax will be 17.5%, at $57,601 to $84,000 the tax will be 30% and above $84,000 it will be 33%.

For someone on $30,000 whose employer contributes $600 a year, you will see that drop to $495 with the rest going to Inland Revenue, for some one on $70,000 the employer contribution will drop from $1400 to $980. The tax credits from July when the year ends June 30th are paid into KiwiSaver accounts, the credit will halve from a dollar for every dollar the member contributes, with a maximum credit of $1043, to 50c for every dollar the member contributes, with a maximum credit of $521.

The two changes will slow the growth of KiwiSaver accounts. But the scheme is still worth being in, but any more changes and you will be lucky to get anything out at the age of retirement. Its like anything that the government does, it starts off a good scheme, but they slowly pick at the scheme and destroy it.

Employees will gain back some of the loss next year, from April 2013, the minimum employer and employee contributions will both rise to 3% of pay. Increasing employees contribution may challenge some, but most should cope fairly easy. The boost in employer contributions will more than make up for the taxation of employer contributions this year.

They say that employees who haven’t yet joined might want to join now?

Employees who sign up commit to contributing for at least a year, unless you strike financial hardship. If you join before April 1st this year, you will have to put in 2% of your pay for a year, but if you wait, during at least part of your first year you will have to put in 3%.

Designers of the scheme will hope people will continue to contribute after 12 months, having got into the habit, is it a good idea to keep putting in money?

The first year is exceptionally good , because you get the $1000 kick start, after that it is still worth while if you have no debt. Anyone with credit card or high debt would do best, after their first year, to take a contributions holiday and transfer their KiwiSaver contributions into getting rid of that debt and restart contributions after that.

Looking at the over-65s from July this year people who joined KiwiSaver at the start and were over 60 at the time will be able to start withdrawing money from their KiwiSaver accounts. You don’t have to take any money out but you are free to withdraw some of it, or whatever pattern suits you.

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However Megaupload remains in prison after losing an appeal which rejected his bid for bail.

Megaupload Dotcom’s property seized, a $4 million lifestyle block was seized on Thursday so it can be inspected, secured and valued.

The Ministry says it is not the Chrisco mansion that is also on the property, that the family rents and lives in. The Ministry was acting on an order issued last week by the High Court in Auckland, ordering immediate restraint of all property, vehicles and jewellery belonging to Megaupload. His wife and children will still be allowed to live in the property while the matter is still before the courts in New Zealand.

Megaupload will remain in custody and will reappear in court in two weeks, when the United States Government files extradition papers.

The four men are facing multiple charges in relation to their file sharing website Megaupload.

One of the four men accused in the Megupload piracy case is confident he wont be extradited to the United States, saying he will continue fighting extradition and wishes to clear his name. He said the time in jail passed very quickly  and was very happy to be out. 

Authorities continued their assault on the fortune of Megaupload, seizing a multi-million dollar house he owns in Auckland. The Official Assignee confirmed that staff had seized the house along with items including jet skis, another car and jewellery, after another order had been granted over the property on February 1st, they are affecting the original order and still carrying out duties under that and dealing with a new restraint order over a property in that region.

Crown Law were dealing with the FBI, who had issued the order, and yesterday carried out an initial inspection and evaluation for insurance purposes, to make sure all was okay and who was living there. All of Megauploads assets would remain under control of the Official Assignee pending the result of legal proceedings. The property contains a 565sqm house and swimming pool, that borders the Chrisco mansion and Quotable Value records show the sale was settled on December 19th.

The computer programmer for the group was ordered not to contact his co-accused outside New Zealand, though he was allowed contact with the three others arrested in New Zealand. As the lawyer representing the US Government said that while five men had been arrested in the piracy case, two were still at large. Another man sought by the FBI had flown from the Philippines to Germany when the police raided Megauploads mansion. As he was a German Citizen the country would not extradite him to the US, the other was a Slovakian in a similar position. The US government was concerned he may contact his co-conspirators and set up another business similar to Megaupload if he was given internet access or was allowed to associate with his co-accused. Because of the popularity of Megaupload and the hacker groups who had taken down the US Government website after the site was closed, proved it could be easy to set up another business, but after all that he would eventually need internet access so he could run his own defence.

For the US Government to suggest he could pop up on the iinternet in Orakei and start business up again with respect is absurd said his lawyer, Megaupload was a business that cost millions of dollars to run and he was under constant watch by the FBI.

Raj extremes
New Zealand is a traveler’s dream of many fans of adventure and extremes. In theforests you can find real gems. It takes patience and skill, however. About one might be able to tell 53-year old Mark Moffett, who is proud of finding the largest beetledeinacrida heteracantha the world. In the wild, he spent two whole days before he gota rare and unique specimen caught. This handsome weighs over 700 grams, whichis more than a sparrow, or 6 mice.

At the time of finding a naturalist or just knew that it was his beetle expert communitydeclare the largest of its kind has ever found. Beetles deinacrida heteracanthacommonly known as the largest insect ever, but this particular series of stands andother representatives of its kind, as is almost 18 cm.

Further applications for bail can be made if there are new circumstances, or can appeal the decision, he said.

What would i do in Germany with five kids a wife and no money? 

That’s not an option for me.

Bail has been granted for two of the co accused, it is alleged the group amassed $NZ216 million, in criminal proceeds through the file sharing website Megaupload.

Megaupload’s bodyguard faced fresh charges when he appeared in court, two counts of possession of a pistol for an unlawful purpose, he was arrested after the raid on Megaupload’s mansion last month. The body guard faced one charge of unlawfully possessing a semi automatic shotgun, that charge was withdrawn and substituted for the new charges.

He did not enter a plea and a defence lawyer asked for a four week remand as the charges were only laid this morning, he was remanded on bail until next month. Its understood he will continue to reside at the multi-million dollar mansion, before the hearing he said he had worked for Megaupload for more than two years and he would fight any charges.

Commenting on the raid at the mansion, he said he would speak about what happened when police raided the mansion once the case had been through the courts. ” I think the New Zealand public needs to know, that will come out.” He would not comment on his time working with Megaupload, and no one had spoken with him since his arrest.

Megaupload was arrested at the behest of the American FBI who will try to extradite him on charges of masterminding a vast, multi-million dollar on line copyright syndicate they call the “Mega Conspiracy” after his website Megaupload. He is in jail having failed to get bail. 

His lawyers appeared in the High Court at Auckland yesterday in a closed session, which was understood to be contesting restraining orders made against his assets.

American authorities will attempt to extradite Megaupload on breached copyright laws.

Giant shrimp that goes in groups of animals marine crustacean found in the trenches as deep as 7 kilometers in the waters of New Zealand.

Creatures that are found are called “supergiant”. These animals included in the order Amphipoda, Crustacea group of animals which had no carapace, and have legs chest (thorax) are similar.

Amphipoda shrimp have a similar shape. Typically, this animal measuring only 2-3 cm. However, the supergiant is found in the Kermadec Trench, measuring 34 cm, 10 times greater.

James Jamieson, scientists from Oceanlab at Aberdeen University, said, “It’s a bit like finding a cockroach the size of a foot.”

“I stop and think. What have I found. Amphipoda is much bigger than I thought,” he said

This strange animal was found by the method of large metal trap with the help of a camera equipped with a protective glass to cope with pressure problems in the deep ocean.

A total of 9 specimens filmed and 7 were taken. Teams involved are from the University of Aberdeen in Scotland and the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric (Niwa) Research in New Zealand.
 
The largest specimens taken measuring 28 cm. While the largest specimens are successfully captured by the camera measuring 34 cm.

Researchers revealed amphipoda found in sea trench and the width to “tunnel” in the ocean that it 11 miles.

These animals are small, but very active. Amphipoda are also known to live in an environment with a much higher pressure than the pressure at sea level.

Supergiant name was introduced in 1980 when it finds this kind in the waters of Hawaii. However, the specimens were found is now much greater.

Dr Ashley Rowden from Niwa said, “It just shows that the more you look, the more you find as well.”

“For large and conspicuous and animals not found in the long term, this is a sign of how little we know about life’s deepest and unique in New Zealand,” said Rowden.

During recent years, scientists are always surprised by the findings of deep sea life. Now, in addition to finding amphipoda, scientists also found isopods at a depth of 7.7 km.

A large crustacean or some sort of giant shrimp have been found hiding in a depth of 7 kilometers to the Kermadec Trench, New Zealand waters.

These animals are referred to as supergiant and a kind of amphipod which normally has a length of approximately 2 to 3 centimeters. But this time the amphipod is found to have nearly the size of more than 10 times higher than normal size, which is 34 centimeters.

Reported by the BBC on Sunday (02.05.2012), Alan Jamieson of the University of Aberdeen Marine Laboratory says, “It’s like finding a long-legged cockroaches. I stop and think: ‘What on earth? Amphipod is much larger than the I’d never imagined. “

Thanks to the large metal trap, which was equipped with a camera coated sapphire glass to keep it safe from the high pressure at sea in the animal eventually found. Seven specimens had caught in the trap, while the other nine are just pictures that had caught on camera by a team from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland and the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (Niwa), New Zealand.

Then the largest specimens are brought back to the ship and when measured 28 centimeters in length, whereas when seen getting on camera has a length of 34 centimeters.

Similar supergiant amphipod previously also been found off the coast of Hawaii in 1980.

Argentina won the Women’s Champions Trophy by defeating Great Britain 1-0. Eight teams Participated in the Tournament. There were Two Groups. Group A was of Netherlands, 

Great Britain, China and Japan. The Second Group was of Argentina, Germany, New Zealand and Korea. Netherlands started their Conquest by defeating China 3-1. Great Britain 

defeated Japan 3-0. Germany defeated Korea 4-2. Argentina drew New Zealand 2-2. China cameback by defeating Japan 2-1. Great Britain drew Netherlands 2-2. New Zealand

 Drew Korea 2-2. Argentina defeated Germany 4-2. The Poor form of Japan continued as they were defeated byNetherlands 4-1. Great Britain defeated China 3-1. Germany defeated

New Zealand 3-1. Argentina drew Korea 2-2. Netherlands defeated New Zealand 3-0 to book place in Semifinals. Germany defeated Japan 3-2. Great Britain defeated Korea 4-1.

Argentina defeated China 3-2 to book place in Semifinals. Japan defeated Korea 4-3. New Zealand defeated China 3-2.

In the Semifinals Great Britain defeated Germany 2-0. Argentina defeated Netherlands on Penalties. Korea defeated  China to win the 7th Place. Japan defeated New Zealand to win 

the Fifth Place. Netherlands defeated Germany 5-4 to win the Third Place. Argentina won the Trophy defeating  Great Britain 1-0.

Launched in March 2005, Megaupload claimed before it closes 50 million visitors a day (fifteen million French visitors per month), twelve billion files stored, and over 180 million members. About 87% of the 500 top US companies would premium accounts.    

The Government of the United States, which even today, in several counties, carries out the death penalty, instead turned in recent years imprisonment. An imprisonment of 25 years, approximately. And, for a murder.

Today, there is talk of a “illegal” trafficking. What sentence? 6o years in prison! Is this a joke? No, but where justice is delivered? Yet once demonstrating us how there should be progress. Yet once demonstrating us how we are without freedom, opprésés behind a wall who decides to all our movements, without exceptions. A more corrupt world led by senior executives, claiming to do good, is enriched in our back!

No institution may reserve the right to stop the sharing of culture and knowledge around the world. Internet has removed the barrier that prevented the less affluent to have access to a wealth of information and works. Why the Government want to prevent this? The culture is everyone!

Future : Scientology convert you and it will drive the “Anonymous”. Will be a chip in your body to control you, what you purchase and what you sell. Are you proprietorship if you are not in agreement with all that, and…

According to many ; a cyber-war is declared!

Resume Dotkom Kim (38 years), the site “Mega Ablod” a judicial decision, New Zealand, keep it in prison, while the United States is trying to convince the authorities of that country to deport him to face charges of violations of intellectual property rights, which are of interest resulted in closure of the site.

The New Zealand Court refused last week to release on bail Millionaire Dotkom grounds that he has money and knowledge that may allow him to flee his country to Germany, which does not extradite its own nationals to the United States.

It was decided to maintain the Dotkom held until 22 of the month, pending the trial.

Paul and his lawyer said her client Davidsn that would appeal today, calling for his release to prepare his defense, stating that he seek treatment of patients with diabetes and high blood pressure, and no fear of his escape because its assets were frozen, and his family are in Auckland, New Zealand.

New Zealand authorities are holding dot com – which was his real name before he legally changed by how much Schmitz – since police raided his home in Auckland two weeks ago.

Interest to U.S.
Prosecutors say that the U.S. “Mega Ablod” and the sites linked to it of illegally earned $ 175 million, and cost the owners of intellectual property losses of half a billion, allowing access to pirated copies of films and television programs and other materials.

The prosecutor charged with blackmail the U.S. to seven people linked to the issue of “Mega Ablod”, a site decides to close it.

But they were using “Mega Ablod” and they are now afraid to wipe their data after the decision to close the site, have been granted a grace period, after having stepped in a non-utilitarian called “the Electronic Frontier.”
 
The association said Wednesday it – in cooperation with companies providing services for electronic storage – will set up a new website to help those who were using the “Mega Ablod” lawfully in the United States to gain access to their data.

Source: Agencies

 “Carpathia Hosting does not have, and has never had, access to the content on MegaUpload servers” a company spokesperson told us this morning, “and has no mechanism for returning any content residing on such servers to MegaUpload’s customers.”

Carpathia, along with Cogent Communications Group, were two hosting companies named in a report suggesting MegaUpload’s server agreements would run out before the end of this week. That could mean users’ data – including legitimate files, rather than just copyright-infringing content – would be permanently lost.

The hosting firm suggests that “anyone who believes that they have content on MegaUpload servers contact MegaUpload” and says “please do not contact” the host itself. However, with MegaUpload’s notorious CEO Kim Dotcom under arrest in New Zealand, denied bail and awaiting extradition; the company’s bank accounts in lock-down; and the site itself offline, it’s unclear exactly who users should complain to.

We’re yet to hear from Cogent, though the assumption is that the response will be similar: like Carpathia, it has no access to MegaUpload data. According to the FBI, certain files expected to be used in the prosecution’s case were copied from the MegaUpload servers, but the machines themselves were not seized.

“In reference to the letter filed by the U.S. Department of Justice with the Eastern District of Virginia on Jan. 27, 2012, Carpathia Hosting does not have, and has never had, access to the content on MegaUpload servers and has no mechanism for returning any content residing on such servers to MegaUpload’s customers. The reference to the Feb. 2, 2012 date in the Department of Justice letter for the deletion of content is not based on any information provided by Carpathia to the U.S. Government. We would recommend that anyone who believes that they have content on MegaUpload servers contact MegaUpload. Please do not contact Carpathia Hosting” Spokesperson