TAX planners in the Administration will not recommend an across-the-board manufacturers or retail sales tax, at least not under that politically dangerous name. Instead, the Administration is likely to ask Congress to rejigger existing federal excise taxes, perhaps lower them on items such as movie admissions, luggage and jewelry, and apply them to items such as clothing, now exempt. The tax program may be sugar-coated with increased income-tax exemptions for working mothers.

YEAR-END dividends of many companies will be postponed to January. Purpose: to let stockholders take advantage of the 10% income-tax cut due Jan. 1.

FAIR trade under the McGuire Act, which makes a price-fixing agreement by one retailer binding on all in a state, passed a U.S. Supreme Court test. The court refused to review an appeal from an adverse decision in a lower court by New Orleans' Schwegmann Brothers supermarket, which once succeeded in getting all-binding price agreements declared unconstitutional.

BERMUDA has told British Overseas Airways Corp. to stop bringing in tourist-flight visitors direct from Britain. It thus hopes to force BOAC to add more flights from New York and boost the island's dollar trade.

TAPANESE planemakers, who once turned out 28,000 aircraft a year, are tooling up again. They have been granted rights to build such U.S. planes as the Beechcraft T-34 trainer and the Bell Model 47 helicopter, expect to find markets for the planes in Asia.

ATOMIC power for commercial use within five years is General Electric's goal. G.E. will ask the Atomic Energy Commission for permission to build an atomic power plant at AEC's Hanford Works near Richland, Wash. The multimillion-dollar plant would produce plutonium as well as electric power. Said G.E.'s President Ralph J. Cordiner: "The most significant [industry] pronouncement . . . since the invention of the incandescent lamp."

THE legality of giveaway shows on radio and TV will be reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court. FCC ruled them illegal four years ago, but postponed enforcement pending a final court decision. Chief issue: are radio and TV giveaways the same as lotteries?

ADENAUER'S victory means continued West German prosperity to European moneymen. Since his reelection, Germany's blocked mark has risen 25% on Zurich's Bourse, is approaching a par with the Swiss franc, one of the hardest currencies in Europe.

UNITED Automobile Workers will be the first union to own a TV station. Final FCC approval is expected in December for a $900,000 U.A.W. station in Detroit. Possible name: WUAW-TV.

CULTURED pearl prices, already rising, are expected to go up another 20% because of a typhoon that wiped out much of Japan's growing crop. The damage is a good guarantee that the pearl industry can look forward to a sellers' market for two years.

TELEPHONES are still so short that A.T. & T. will soon sell $600 million worth of convertible debentures, largest corporate security issue in history, to finance further expansion and new exchanges. The company has installed 18.5 million phones since World War II (total in service: 41 million), still has unfilled orders for 500,000.

BREWERS are racing to get into big production on the West Coast, thus cut their freight costs. Pabst will open a $15 million Los Angeles brewery by year's end; Schlitz and Anheuser-Busch will be brewing beer in Los Angeles by spring.

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