AP/J. Scott Applewhite WASHINGTON -- In an almost annual ritual, Congress is letting a package of 55 popular tax breaks expire at the end of the year, creating uncertainty -- once again -- for millions of individuals and businesses. Lawmakers let these tax breaks lapse almost every year, even though they save businesses and individuals billions of dollars. And almost every year, Congress eventually renews them, retroactively, so taxpayers can claim them by the time they file their tax returns. No harm, no foul, right? After all, taxpayers filing returns in the spring won't be hurt because the tax breaks were in effect for 2013. Taxpayers won't be hit until 2015, when they file tax returns for next year. Not so far. Trade groups and tax experts complain that Congress is making it impossible for businesses and individuals to plan for the future. What if lawmakers don't renew the tax break you depend on? Or what if they change it and you're no longer eligible? "It's a totally ridiculous way to run our tax system," said Rachelle Bernstein, vice president and tax counsel for the National Retail Federation. "It's impossible to plan when every year this happens, but yet business has gotten used to that." Some of the tax breaks are big, including billions in credits for companies that invest in research and development, generous exemptions for financial institutions doing business overseas, and several breaks that let businesses write off capital investments faster. Others are more obscure, the benefits targeted to film producers, race track owners, makers of electric motorcycles and teachers who buy classroom supplies with their own money. There are tax rebates to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands from a tax on rum imported into the United States, and a credit for expenses related to railroad track maintenance. A deduction for state and local sales taxes benefits people who live in the nine states without state income taxes. Smaller tax breaks benefit college students and commuters who use public transportation. A series of tax breaks promote renewable energy, including a credit for power companies that produce electricity with windmills. The annual practice of letting these tax breaks expire is a symptom a divided, dysfunctional Congress that struggles to pass routine legislation, said Rep. John Lewis of Georgia, a senior Democrat on the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee. "It's not fair, it's very hard, it's very difficult for a business person, a company, to plan, not just for the short term but to do long-term planning," Lewis said. "It's shameful." With Congress on vacation until January, there is no chance the tax breaks will be renewed before they expire. And there is plenty of precedent for Congress to let them expire for months without addressing them. Most recently, they expired at the end of 2011, and Congress didn't renew them for the entire year, waiting until New Year's Day 2013 -- just in time for taxpayers to claim them on their 2012 returns. But Congress only renewed the package though the end of 2013. Why such a short extension? Washington accounting is partly to blame. The two-year extension Congress passed in January cost $76 billion in reduced revenue for the government, according to the nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation. Making those tax breaks permanent could add $400 billion or more to the deficit over the next decade. With budget deficits already high, many in Congress are reluctant to vote for a bill that would add so much red ink. So, they do it slowly, one or two years at time. "More cynically, some people say, if you just put it in for a year or two, then that keeps the lobbyists having to come back and wine-and-dine the congressmen to get it extended again, and maybe make some campaign contributions," said Mark Luscombe, principal tax analyst for CCH, a consulting firm based in Riverwoods, Ill. This year, the package of tax breaks has been caught up in a debate about overhauling the entire tax code. The two top tax writers in Congress -- House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-Mich.), and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) -- have been pushing to simplify the tax code by reducing tax breaks and using the additional revenue to lower overall tax rates. But their efforts have yet to bear fruit, leaving both tax reform and the package of temporary breaks in limbo. When asked how businesses should prepare, given the uncertainty, Camp said, "They need to get on board with tax reform, that's what they need to do." Further complicating the issue, President Barack Obama has nominated Baucus to become U.S. ambassador to China, meaning he will soon leave the Senate, if he is confirmed by his colleagues. As the Senate wound down its 2013 session, Democratic leaders made a late push to extend many of the tax breaks by asking Republican colleagues to pass a package on the floor of the Senate without debate or amendments. Republicans objected, saying it wasn't a serious offer, and the effort failed. So should taxpayers count on these breaks as they plan their budgets for 2014? "The best thing I would say is, budget accordingly," said Jackie Perlman, principle tax research analyst at The Tax Institute at H&R Block. "As the saying goes, hope for the best but plan for the worst. Then if you get it, great, that's a nice perk. But don't count on it."
Top 10 Railroad Companies To Invest In 2015: Celadon Group Inc.(CGI)
Celadon Group, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides transportation services between the United States, Canada, and Mexico. It offers a range of truckload transportation services, including long-haul, regional, less-than-truckload, intermodal, and logistics services. The company transports various types of freight comprising tobacco, consumer goods, automotive parts, home products and fixtures, lawn tractors and assorted equipment, light bulbs, and various parts for engines. It also operates an e-commerce business that provides discounted fuel, tires, insurance, and other products and services to small and medium-sized trucking companies through its website, www.truckersb2b.com. In addition, the company provides warehousing and trucking services, as well as freight brokerage services. Celadon Group, Inc. was founded in 1985 and is based in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Top 10 Railroad Companies To Invest In 2015: RTI International Metals Inc.(RTI)
RTI International Metals, Inc. produces and supplies titanium mill products worldwide. The company operates in three segments: The Titanium Group, The Fabrication Group, and The Distribution Group. The Titanium Group segment melts, processes, and produces various titanium mill products, including, blooms, billets, sheets, and plates, which are further processed by its customers for use in various commercial aerospace, defense, and industrial and consumer applications. This segment also produces ferro titanium alloys for its steel-making customers. It serves prime aircraft manufacturers, as well as their subcontractors comprising fabricators, forge shops, extruders, castings producers, fastener manufacturers, machine shops, and metal distribution companies. The Fabrication Group segment extrudes, forms, fabricates, machines, and assembles titanium and other specialty metal parts and components. Its products primarily include complex engineered parts and assemblies that are used in commercial aerospace, defense, medical device, oil and gas, power generation, and chemical process industries, as well as in various other industrial and consumer markets. This segment also provides engineered tubulars and extrusions, fabricated and machined components, and sub-assemblies, as well as engineered systems for deepwater oil and gas exploration and production infrastructure. In addition, it produces components for the production of minimally invasive and implantable medical devices. The Distribution Group segment stocks, distributes, finishes, cuts-to-size, and facilitates delivery services of titanium, steel, and other specialty metal products primarily nickel-based specialty alloys to commercial aerospace, defense, and industrial and consumer customers. The company sells its products primarily through its sales force. RTI International Metals, Inc. was founded in 1950 and is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Symmetricom, Inc. provides timekeeping technologies, instruments, and solutions worldwide. Its Communications business unit provides timing technologies and services for communications infrastructure. The Communications business unit products comprise primary reference sources; edge clocks and distribution products for synchronization outside the network core; building integrated timing supply and sync supply unit for the central office; the PackeTime product suite; data over cable service interface specifications timing interface systems; network management and monitoring software; and embedded hardware and software solutions for integration with various elements of the communications ecosystem, such as silicon, routers, switches, microwave backhaul, and base stations. The company?s Government business unit offers time technology products for aerospace/defense, IT infrastructure, power infrastructure, and science and metrology applications. The Government business unit p roduct portfolio comprises timescale clock sources; network time servers; network time displays; time code generators; bus level timing cards; primary reference standards, such as rubidium and cesium oscillator standards; high stability masers; chip-scale atomic clocks; ruggedized crystal oscillators; and custom time and frequency systems. It offers timekeeping in GPS satellites, national time references, and national power grids, as well as in critical military and civilian networks, which enable data, voice, mobile, and video networks and services. The company sells its products through distributors, systems integrators, and manufacturer sales representatives. It serves various markets, including communications service providers; network equipment manufacturers; silicon suppliers; aerospace/defense; power utility infrastructure; IT infrastructure; underwater exploration and navigation; and science and metrology. The company was founded in 1956 and is headquartered in San J ose, California.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Rich Smith]
San Jose, Calif.-based Symmetricom (NASDAQ: SYMM ) has a new chief executive officer.
On Tuesday, the "precise time" computer announced a series of changes in upper management. Current CEO David G. Cote is leaving the company "to pursue other interests" and has been replaced by new CEO Elizabeth A. Fetter, a current board member. Details on Fetter's compensation have yet to be filed with the SEC.
- [By Lauren Pollock]
Microsemi Corp.(MSCC) agreed to pay almost $298 million to acquire Symmetricom Inc.(SYMM), a deal that will expand the power-management supplier’s exposure into the aerospace and defense industries while also immediately adding to earnings. Shares in Symmetricom soared.
Top 10 Railroad Companies To Invest In 2015: CBL & Associates Properties Inc. (CBL)
CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. is a public real estate investment trust. It engages in acquisition, development, and management of properties. The fund invests in the real estate markets of United States. Its portfolio consists of enclosed malls and open-air centers. CBL & Associates Properties is based in Oak Brook, Illinois. CBL & Associates Properties was founded in 1978 and is based in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Monica Gerson]
CBL & Associates Properties (NYSE: CBL) shares fell 5.20% to reach a new 52-week low of $18.43 after the company reported Q3 results.
VIVUS (NASDAQ: VVUS) shares dipped 11.58% to touch a new 52-week low of $8.32 on weak sales of Qsymia. Bank of America downgraded VIVUS from Buy to Neutral.
Top 10 Railroad Companies To Invest In 2015: Wireless Ronin Technologies Inc.(RNIN)
Wireless Ronin Technologies, Inc. provides dynamic digital signage software and service solutions for certain retail and service markets. The company offers RoninCast, an enterprise, Web-based, or hosted content delivery system that manages, schedules, and delivers digital content over wireless or wired networks. Its RoninCast X software product is built in two main software suites, the server software suite, which is a secure Web-based, distributed server that provides control over the network; and the client software suite, which bundles the software components required to operate the device players. The company also offers project planning, design, network deployment, software training, equipment, hardware configuration, content engineering/development, implementation, maintenance, and help desk support services, as well as network operations center. In addition, it develops e-learning solutions, which are software-based instructional systems for customers primarily in sales force training applications; e-performance support systems that are interactive systems used to increase product literacy of customer sales staff; and e-marketing products to increase customer knowledge of and interaction with customer products. The company markets and sells its software and service solutions through direct sales force, distributors, and resellers primarily to automotive, food service, and branded retail vertical market segments in North America. Wireless Ronin Technologies, Inc. was incorporated in 2000 and is headquartered in Minnetonka, Minnesota.
Top 10 Railroad Companies To Invest In 2015: Ocean Power Technologies Inc.(OPTT)
Ocean Power Technologies, Inc. engages in the development and commercialization of proprietary systems that generate electricity by harnessing the renewable energy of ocean waves primarily in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. The company offers utility PowerBuoy system to supply electricity to a local or regional electric power grid; and autonomous PowerBuoy system that is designed to generate power for use independent of the power grid in remote locations. Its autonomous PowerBuoy system is also used in various applications, including homeland security, off-shore oil and gas platforms, aquaculture, and ocean-based communication and data gathering, such as tsunami warnings. The company sells its products to public utilities, independent power producers, and other governmental entities and agencies, as well as public and private entities that use electricity in and near the ocean. Ocean Power Technologies, Inc. was incorporated in 1984 and is headquartered in Penn ington, New Jersey.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Lisa Levin]
Ocean Power Technologies (NASDAQ: OPTT) surged 23.89% to $2.80 in the pre-market session after the company received a $2.6 million contract from Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding Co.
- [By Dr. Kent Moors]
But Ocean Power Technologies Inc. (Nasdaq GM: OPTT) - a firm I have followed for some time - is different.
The whole company is worth just $16 million at the moment. But it's having success now using stationary buoys to generate power.
- [By Konrad Kuhn]
Ocean Power Technologies (OPTT) is a pioneer in wave energy technology that harnesses ocean wave resources, to generate clean and environmentally-beneficial electricity.
Top 10 Railroad Companies To Invest In 2015: NTS Inc (NTS)
NTS Inc, formerly Xfone, Inc, incorporated in September 2000, is a holding and managing company providing, through its subsidiaries, integrated communications services, which include voice, video and data over its Fiber-To-The-Premise (FTTP) and other networks. The Company has operations in Texas, Mississippi and Louisiana and it also serves customers in Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico and Oklahoma. The Company provides telecommunication products/services, including retail services, Wholesale Services and Internet Based Customer Service. The Company�� divisions include Customer Service Division, Operations Division, Administration Division and Marketing Division.
NTS Communications, Inc. (NTSC) delivers local telephony service to its customers through an on-net UNE-L connection, including voice mail, caller ID, forwarding, 3-way calling, blocking, and PBX services. In addition, NTSC sells off-net total service resale lines. NTSC provides UNE-L services in Lubbock, Abilene, Amarillo, Midland, Odessa, Pampa, Plainview, and Wichita Falls, Texas. NTSC provides local services via Fiber-To-The-Premise (FTTP) in Lubbock, Wolfforth, Levelland, Littlefield, Burkburnett, and Smyer, Texas. NTSC provides resold local services throughout Texas via its resale agreement with AT&T.
NTSC offers a range of long distance services to its customers, including switched long distance (including intrastate, interstate, and international), toll-free service, dedicated T-1 long distance and calling cards. The majority of its customers are concentrated in West Texas. A minority of its long distance customers are in Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Colorado. NTSC provides broadband and dial-up Internet service in all of its Texas markets. Download speeds for broadband range from 500 Kilobits to 100 Megabits per second, depending on the end user's distance from an NTSC collocation or the type of facilities used to deliver the service. NTSC also offers Web hosting and wide area networkin! g solutions for business applications. NTSC offers a selection of video services, including basic cable, video on demand, high definition television (HDTV) and digital video recorder (DVR). In addition to providing video service via its FTTP network, NTSC offers CATV via a coaxial cable network in Anton, Brownfield, Colorado City, Hale Center, Idalou, Levelland, Littlefield, Meadow, Morton, New Deal, O'Donnell, Olton, Ropesville, Shallowater, Slaton, Smyer, Tahoka, and Wolfforth Texas. NTSC offers a selection of video services via its CATV offering basic cable, over 250 channels, including sports and movie channels, and Pay Per View. NTSC resells a variety of CPE and CPE related services to its customers.
NTSC offers aggregation and resale of leased fiber transport network from AT&T and other fiber network operators. This service is provided for carrier customers that need direct network connectivity, as well as enterprises that require branch office connections. Services are offered under 1-year contracts for a fixed amount per month. NTSC provides private line service nationwide. NTSC provides multi-regional switched termination, switched toll free origination and wholesale Internet access services to various carrier customers. Services are offered for a fixed amount per minute. NTSC provides wholesale switched termination services to customers via network connections in NTSC POPs and switch sites.
NTSC provides voice, data, and video services for NTS Telephone Company and also provides billing, sales and marketing, back and front offices services to this subsidiary. The Company provides local dial tone and calling features, such as hunting, calls forwarding and call waiting to both business and residential customers throughout Louisiana and Mississippi, including T-1 and PRI local telephone services to business customers.
The Company uses its own network where available and QWEST , a nationwide long distances carrier, as its underlying long distance network prov! ider. In ! conjunction with Local Telephone Services, it provides Long Distance Services to its residential and business customers. The Company provides two different categories of long distance services-Switched Services to both residential and small business customers, which includes 1+ Outbound Service, Toll Free Inbound Service and Calling Card Service. The Company also provides services, such as T-1 and PRI Services. The Company's long distance services are only available to customers who use the Company's local telephone services.
The Company provides high-speed broadband Internet access to residential and business customers utilizing its own integrated digital data network and utilizing the broadband gateway network of the new ATT. Its DSL service provides up to three megabytes per second (Mbps) of streaming speed combined with Dynamic IP addresses, as well as multiple mailboxes and Web space. The Company's DSL services also include spam filter, instant messaging, pop-up blocking, Web mail access, and parental controls. The Company also provides dial-up Internet access service for quick and dependable connection to the Web. The Company's Internet/Data services are stand-alone products or are bundled with its voice services for residential and business customers. Its customer service department is an additional product offering, which sells, as well as retains customers. The scope of communications service entails network service, customer service, and repair service.
Xfone USA resells a variety of CPE and CPE related services to its customers. Primarily, these sales involve acting with NTSC as an authorized dealer for Toshiba phone systems. These systems are sold to customers either on a stand-alone basis, or in conjunction with the purchase of local, long distance, and/or data services from the Company. In addition, it sells a variety of other electronics such as high-definition (HD) displays, surveillance equipment, paging systems, nurse call systems, routers switches and interne! tworking ! gear.
The Company competes with AT&T, SuddenLink Communications, Time Warner Communication, Qwest, Level 3 and Verizon.
Top 10 Railroad Companies To Invest In 2015: Cordex Ventures Inc (CVX.V)
CEMATRIX CORPORATION, through its subsidiary, CEMATRIX (Canada) Inc., engages in the manufacture and supply of cellular concrete products for various applications in the infrastructure and oil sands/refinery construction markets in Canada and the United States. The company�s cellular concrete products offers thermal protection and support for hot oil tanks; thermal protection for shallow buried utility lines; bedding and support of buried pipelines; thermal protection of frost-heave susceptible soils under roadways; alternative roadbed support over weak soils; void fill under floor slabs, or roadways; thermal protection of perma-frost; abandoned pipe grouting; grouting of annular space between the casing and pipe; and lightweight back fill for retaining walls and bridge abutments. CEMATRIX CORPORATION was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.
Top 10 Railroad Companies To Invest In 2015: Sino Clean Energy Inc.(SCEI)
Sino Clean Energy Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates as a third party commercial producer and distributor of coal-water slurry fuel (CWSF) in the People?s Republic of China. The company?s CWSF products are primarily used to fuel boilers and furnaces to generate steam and heat for residential and industrial applications. It sells its products directly to various customers, including industrial, commercial, residential, and government organizations. The company is headquartered in Xi?an, China.
Top 10 Railroad Companies To Invest In 2015: 3D Resources Ltd (DDD.AX)
3D Resources Limited engages in the exploration of mineral properties in Australia. It explores for gold, nickel, copper, lead, zinc, and platinum group metals in prospective geological environments within the East Kimberley, the Pilbara, and the Eastern Goldfields of Western Australia; and is also reviewing potential manganese and coal projects in Indonesia. The company holds a 100% interest in the Cosmo Newbery, Halls Creek, Mt Angelo, and Mt Padbury projects; and has entered into an agreement to purchase a 75% of a tenement in the Cosmo Newbery project area. 3D Resources Limited was founded in 2006 and is based in Malaga, Australia.
Top 10 Railroad Companies To Invest In 2015: Arris Group Inc(ARRS)
Arris Group, Inc. develops, manufactures, and supplies telephony, data, video, construction, rebuild, and maintenance equipment for the broadband communications industry worldwide. The company operates in three segments: Broadband Communications Systems (BCS); Access, Transport, and Supplies (ATS); and Media and Communications Systems (MCS). The BCS segment provides VoIP and high speed data products, including CMTS edge routers, 2-line residential EMTA, multi-line EMTA for residential and commercial services, wireless gateway, and high speed data cable modems; video/IP products comprising CMTS edge routers, broadband and universal EdgeQAM, and whole home gateway and media players; and video processing products, such as switched digital video systems, digital video encoders, transcoders, transraters, and statistical multiplexers. The ATS segment offers hybrid fiber-coaxial plant equipment products comprising headend and hub products, optical transmitters, optical amplifiers , optical repeaters, optical nodes, WiFi access points, ePON optical network units and line terminals, RF over glass optical network units, and radio frequency amplifiers; and infrastructure products for fiber optic or coaxial networks, which include cable and strand, vaults, conduit, drop materials, tools, connectors, and test equipment. The MCS segment provides media, delivery, and monetization platform products, such as video on demand management and distribution, and linear and advanced advertising; operations management systems comprising network and service assurance, and mobile workforce management; and fixed mobile convergence platform products, such as mobility application servers for continuity of services in wireless and PacketCable networks, and voice call continuity application servers for continuity of services in IP multimedia subsystem networks. The company offers its services to cable system operators. Arris Group, Inc. was founded in 1969 and is headquarter ed in Suwanee, Georgia.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Holly LaFon]
We initiated one new position in the third quarter, Aarons (AAN), and purchased shares in several existing investments, including small amounts in Apollo Group (APOL) and Devry (DV) and a larger increase in Arris Group (ARRS). We have written about the for-profit education companies in previous letters, so please refer to those letters should you want to familiarize yourself with APOL or DV.
- [By Rich Smith]
Suwanee, Ga.-based Arris Group (NASDAQ: ARRS ) is clear to buy Google's (NASDAQ: GOOG ) Motorola Home cable set-top box division, the company announced Friday.
Top 10 Railroad Companies To Invest In 2015: IP Group(IPO.L)
IP Group plc, Formerly known as IP2IPO Group plc, is a private equity and venture capital firm specializing in seed, early stage, and mature financing. The firm also provides seed capital financing to spin out companies from the universities. It seeks to invest in the life sciences, physical sciences, energy & renewables, medical equipment and supplies, intellectual property, pharmaceuticals & biotechnology, information technology & communications, and chemicals & materials. It also provides support for its university partners' intellectual property commercialization activities, as well as in the identification of intellectual property and in return takes equity positions in its portfolio companies. IP Group plc was founded in 2001 and is based in London, United Kingdom.
Europe's week ahead: Nokia earnings 
The Next 24: Apple, Facebook, and the Fed 
RBC Capital Markets 
Enlarge Image The average quarterly earnings surprise. 
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