Latest news with #AASC
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Annan target packed ground for play-off final showdown
Annan Athletic fans have called for a packed Galabank tonight as they bid for Scottish League One survival. Wullie Gibson's side host East Fife in their play-off final second leg, trailing 3-2 at the tie's halfway mark. The televised showdown with Dick Campbell's side has seen the Annan Athletic Supporters' Club (AASC) do its bit to help fans be Gibson's 12th man. They are paying for each of their members' match tickets, having also covered the cost of the team's coach travel to the first leg. AASC chairman Ross Johnstone said: 'Everything's to play for and it should be a great atmosphere. We need to pack the ground. 'We know it's going to be tough. East Fife are strong and we're missing some key players, but fans can – and will – play their part in spurring the team on by being that proverbial 12th man. 'It will mean everything to fans, players and everyone involved in the club if we were to be successful in maintaining our League One status for another season, then try to build on that. 'We're under no illusion that it's been a hard season, with a lot of injuries to key players, but we're hopeful that we can get the job done. 'Our fans have been great. Paying for our members' tickets on Friday is our way of thanking them for the tremendous support they've shown, home and away. We know it's appreciated by Wullie, his players and everyone at the club.' Annan's 3-2 defeat at Bayview in the first leg saw red cards for Scott Hooper and Layton Bisland. They will be suspended along with player-boss Gibson, who is out of the play-offs through yellow card totting-up. East Fife boss Campbell was also sent from the touchline in the first leg. Annan host East Fife tonight, trailing 3-2 from the first leg (Image: Ben Carmichael) The game is live on BBC Alba and Gibson has hailed the contribution of supporters. 'Our fans have been tremendous all season,' he said. 'They've really got behind me and the team. 'With everything that stands on [tonight's] game, I'm sure they'll turn out in their numbers.' The club's secretary Susan Bryson added: 'Our supporters are brilliant. The atmosphere on Friday should be fantastic. It's a game which means so much to the club and community. Fans turning out in force will make a massive difference to the players. 'We're really grateful to Annan Athletic Supporters' Club for their continued support.' Kick-off at Galabank tonight is 7.30pm. Season tickets are not valid for this fixture, with tickets available via the Fanbase app and the ticket page at as well as on the gate.
Daily Record
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
Annan Athletic fans urged to roar their side on to League One survival
A big crowd is expected at Galabank on Friday night as Wullie Gibson's side aim to see off East Fife. Annan Athletic fans are being urged to roar their side to League One survival. Wullie Gibson's side go into the second leg of the play-off final trailing East Fife 3-2 after Tuesday's feisty affair saw the Black and Golds finishing with just nine men. Annan Athletic Supporters' Club (AASC) is paying for each of its members' tickets for Friday's big match, having also covered the cost of the team's coach travel to the first leg. AASC chairman, Ross Johnstone, said: 'Everything's to play for on Friday. It should be a great atmosphere. We need to pack the ground. 'We know it's going to be tough. East Fife are strong and we're missing some key players, but fans can - and will - play their part in spurring the team on by being that proverbial 12th man. 'It will mean everything to fans, players and everyone involved in the club if we were to be successful in maintaining our League One status for another season, then try to build on that. 'We're under no illusion that it's been a hard season - with a lot of injuries to key players - but we're hopeful that we can get the job done. 'Our fans have been great. Paying for our members' tickets on Friday is our way of thanking them for the tremendous support they've shown, home and away. We know it's appreciated by Wullie, his players and everyone at the club.' Although Friday's game, which kicks off at 7.30pm, is live on BBC ALBA, a huge crowd is expected to turn out at Galabank to support Annan in their bid to secure a third successive season in League One. Club secretary, Susan Bryson, said: 'Our supporters are brilliant. The atmosphere on Friday should be fantastic. It's a game which means so much to the club and community. Fans turning out in force will make a massive difference to the players. 'We're really grateful to Annan Athletic Supporters' Club for their continued support, including stepping up to cover the coach costs this week. The tickets for their members on Friday is a tremendous gesture.' Ahead of the season, AASC pumped more than £20,000 into Annan's playing budget through its Wullie's War Chest fundraiser. Season tickets are not valid for Friday's match and tickets can be bought via the Fanbase app, on the gate and online at
Forbes
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Forbes
Removing The Tax On Sex Abuse Victims: Legislation to Undo Unfair Tax
Legislation has been introduced to end taxation of recoveries by sex abuse victims from their ... More abusers. Survivors of sexual abuse have long faced an unjust burden: taxation of their financial recoveries. Bipartisan legislation was recently introduced to change that. Representatives Lloyd Smucker and Gwen Moore introduced the Survivor Justice Tax Prevention Act, which would exempt from tax most financial recoveries for sexual assault and sexual abuse. The House GOP is in the midst of proposing a sweeping tax and spending package, with significant haggling to be had. Narrow policy changes may make it in, but the priority seems to be the extension of soon-to-expire provisions from the 2017 Tax Cuts & Jobs Act. If the Survivor Justice Tax Prevention Act doesn't become law this round it might be incorporated into a 'technical corrections' bill soon after. It would certainly remove an unfairness that many have talked about, including this author and the presidents of the Society of Settlement Planners (SSP), the American Association of Settlement Consultants(AASC), and the National Structured Settlements Trade Association (NSSTA). The AASC has made it a centerpiece of its policy work. Lawyers for sexual abuse survivors also support the change. Trial lawyer Genie Harrison recovered for victims of Harvey Weinstein. She says, 'Survivors deserve full justice, not a second round of trauma at the hands of the tax code.' Trial lawyer Mike Arias helped secure an $852 million settlement for sexually abused students in a case against University of Southern California and Dr. George Tyndall. 'Ridiculous,' he calls the current law. "It's like treating their recovery as income gained for enduring pain and anguish they suffered from the sexual assault.' Since 1996, federal law has exempted settlements and awards from taxation if received 'on account of personal physical injuries or physical sickness.' While the rule itself is broadly written, the IRS has historically interpreted physical injuries narrowly, looking for visible harm to qualify for tax-free treatment. The problem is obvious: many forms of sexual abuse leave no visible injuries. Survivors often suffer profound psychological, emotional, and internal injuries without visible marks—injuries that may never be documented or may have healed long ago. As plaintiff lawyers know firsthand, uncertainty and unfair taxation make the fight for justice more difficult. Shahrad Milanfar recently won a $32 million verdict for elder abuse. He talked through the difficulty that current law creates, 'Explaining to a plaintiff that they're going to be taxed when recovering money for what was taken from them is terrible. But they need to know early on in the process so they can plan for it.' The consequences are discussed often by professionals working in the area. For example, it was publicly raised in articles about sexual abuse survivors of Dr. Larry Nassar, the former physician of the USA Gymnastics Team. The Survivor Justice Tax Prevention Act offers a targeted fix. It expressly excludes from taxable income most damages recovered by a survivor of sexual assault or abuse. Whether through judgment, settlement, or award, the recovery would be tax-free. Importantly, the legislation avoids the ambiguity that has plagued plaintiffs and their counsel under current law. Instead of relying on the problematic 'physical injury' standard, the bill ties tax exemption directly to the federal criminal code's definitions of 'sexual act' and 'sexual contact.' These federal definitions eliminate the guesswork survivors and lawyers have been forced to face when assessing tax exposure. And what's more, the legislation explicitly allows such tax treatment even if there are no 'medical records of such act or contact.' The bill also mandates an IRS public awareness campaign so that survivors, lawyers, and the broader public will learn of the exclusion. Clarity in the law is meaningless if those it protects never hear about it. The need for reform is not a new revelation; it's a long-standing demand for fairness in a system that too often compounds the harms that survivors already face. The Survivor Justice Tax Prevention Act finally closes a longstanding gap—protecting sex abuse survivor recoveries without forcing survivors into tax uncertainty or conflict. Plaintiff lawyer Kevin Biniazan secured a $360 million verdict last year against a hospital for sexual abuse disguised as medical treatment. Says Biniazan, 'This is yet another necessary step, albeit long overdue, in the right direction towards a legal system that recognizes and protects the rights and interests of survivors of sexual abuse.'
