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September 14, 2012 KQEDStarting Saturday, California shoppers will begin paying sales tax on more online purchases. It's the eighth state to pass a so-called "Amazon tax," named after the mega e-tailer. But most of the sales tax owed will remain uncollected.

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September 12, 2012 Americans give billions to charity each year. But an investigative report has found one large, for-profit telemarketing company has kept a large percentage of the funds it has raised for charities — while also misrepresenting to donors how their contributions would be used.

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September 12, 2012 Online reviews of restaurants, travel deals, apps and just about anything you want to buy have become a powerful driver of consumer behavior. Unsurprisingly, they have also created a powerful incentive to cheat.

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September 11, 2012 In his first interview since Facebook's troubled IPO, founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg emphasized the company's mobile-centered future, his commitment to mission over fun and explained why he doesn't code much anymore.

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September 11, 2012 Annual family health insurance premiums rose about 4 percent to an average of $15,745 this year, a new survey finds. While the increase is less than the one seen last year, it exceeds both inflation and wage gains.

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September 9, 2012 New tablets and smartphones (and rumors of more) have come so rapidly, it's been hard to keep up. The dilemma, when technology is concerned, has always been whether to buy now or wait for a better, perhaps cheaper, and shinier gadget to come along. So where does that leave you, the consumer?

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September 7, 2012 WBEZThe Panera coffee and sandwich chain is replacing some of its stores with nonprofit versions that allow customers to pay what they want and raise awareness about food insecurity. So far, the stores are paying for themselves.

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September 6, 2012 As Europe's Central Bank announced the latest plan to deal with the Continent's debt crisis, markets on both sides of the Atlantic rallied. Now investors are turning their focus to Friday's U.S. unemployment report, searching for signs that the job market is strengthening.

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September 5, 2012 Since January 2011, the government has knocked 2 percentage points off the payroll tax, which funds Social Security. But even as the economy appears to still be in a rut, there's little appetite to extend the tax holiday and its $95 billion price tag.

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September 3, 2012 KQEDOn Kickstarter, the largest crowd-funding site, a handful of entrepreneurs have raised millions of dollars more than they expected. But if they fail to deliver their promised product, questions arise over whether the supporters are donating money or making a purchase.

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September 1, 2012 Sales spiked for the iGrill, a Bluetooth-connected cooking thermometer for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch, after an enthusiastic online mention from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. But is it worth the $80 pricetag? We put the iGrill through its paces.

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August 27, 2012 When the political conventions were kicking off in 2008, the direction of the U.S. economy was clear: down. The state of the 2012 economy will provide Republicans and Democrats with much to debate.

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