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Home My WebLink AboutHuron Expositor, 2014-05-14, Page 44 Huron Expositor • Wednesday, May 14, 2014 www.seaforthhuronexpositor com aforth Ion Expositor PUBLISHED WEEKLY — EST. 1860 P.O. Box 69, 8 Main Street Seaforth Ontario NOK phone: 519-527-0240 fax: 519-527-2858 www.seaforthhuronexpositor SUN MEDIA A Quebecor Media Company NEIL CLIFFORD Publisher neil.clifford@sunmedia.ca MAXWELL BICKFORD Advertising Rep. max.bickford@sunmedia.ca DIANNE MCGRATH Front Office seaforth.classifieds@sunmedia.ca WHITNEY SOUTH Multimedia Joumalist seaforth.news@sunmedia.ca SUBSCRIPTION RATES 1 YEAR $50.00 (47.62+2.38 GST) 2 YEAR $95.00 (90.48+4.52 GST) SENIORS 60 WEEKS $50.00 (47.62+2.38 GST) 120 WEEKS $95.00 (90.48+4.52 GST) Publications Mail Agreement No. 40064683 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT P.O. Box 69 Seaforth ON NOK For any non -deliveries or delivery concerns: phone: 519-527-0240 Advertising is accepted on condition that in the event of a typographical error, the advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged, but the balance of the advertisement wit be paid for at the applicable rate. In the event of a typographical error, advertising goods or services at a wrong price, goods or services may not be sold. Advertising is merely an offer to set and may be withdrawn at any time. The Huron Expositor is not responsible for the loss or damage of unsolicited manuscripts, photos or other materials used for reproduction purposes. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canadian Periodical Fund (CPF) for our publishing activities. Canacra editorial Simplify our tax act by nixing tax credits QMI Agency When income tax was first introduced as a temporary measure in 1917 to fund Canada's war effort, the legisla- tion was 11 pages long. Now? The Income Tax Act is 3,206 pages, 1,038,162 words long. To put that in perspective, Leo Tolstoy's epic novel War and Peace is about half that, at 587,287 words. Plus Tolstoy's novel is a fictional read, it's not law. The Income Tax Act is law and and it's a long law that clearly nobody, not even the people tasked with enforcing it, actually understands. That's scary. It means that at any time an auditor could find you guilty of several offences that you didn't even know existed. As satirist P.J. O'Rourke wrote: "Beyond a certain point complexity is fraud." A Fraser Institute report released last week notes that Canadians spent $6.96 billion in 2012 complying with our massive tax code. That worked out to $501 for each household. In the United States, the Mercatus Center calculated tax compliance cost Americans $609 billion annually. What in the world is happening here? It's bad enough taxes are so high as it is. Having such an onerous tax code is just a way of kicking us while we're down. This is gov- ernment run rampant. This is why the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) is arguing that the act needs to be pared down. We second their call. But how did it even get this way to begin with? Because politicians passed bills to make it bigger. This is usually in the form of niche tax credits, which the CTF singles out as something that's got to go. If we removed all the tax credits, we could simplify the code and bring down the general income tax rate for everyone. Interestingly, both grassroots Liberals and NDP mem- bers proposed simplifying the act during policy resolu- tions to their most recent conventions. But as the CTF points out, the Harper government has amended the act 22 times. They've added 631 pages to it, 220,356 words. That's a scandal, especially coming from a government that's supposed to be fiscally conservative. Canada needs fewer taxes, a smaller tax burden for all and less bureaucrats on the payroll to administer this complicated mess. Give bees a chance Last week I came home to a disturbing sight. Six, count 'em, six big, beauti- ful bumblebees were lying dead on my front steps. Now, if my neighbour had anything to say about it, she would be jumping for joy. She hates bugs. Don't get me wrong; insects aren't usually my friends either. If you recall, I had quite an altercation with a collection of cluster flies just a few weeks ago... But for me, it's a little differ- ent when it comes to bees. Yes, even though I was stung once in the ear... You heard me, IN the EAR... I still appreciate bees for all they do for humanity. No I'm not kidding. Without bees, we would have no fruit, vegetables, nuts or seeds. Grocery chain Whole Foods recently created an online video of what your local grocery store would like in a world without bees. Essentially, they removed half the store's produce. Imagine a world without strawberries! Peaches! Delicious melons! I don't even want to think about it. The truth of the matter is bees have been taking a big hit and it's not just from your neighour's fly swatter. Bee populations are declining and it's been documented around the world. According to the Canadian Honey Council, our national bee population has dropped by an estimated 35 per cent in the past three years. Some are calling for a ban on a pesticide many are claiming has killed millions of honeybees across Ontario. Neonicotinoid is class Column Whitney South Huron Expositor of neuro -active insecticide chemically similar to nicotine and the government says they're investigating the affect it has on the bee population. Meanwhile, the Ontario Beekeepers Association has launched a petition to get the province to ban the pesticide while it undergoes testing.In an effort to help alleviate bee- keeper concerns about certain chemicals, the Grain Farmers of Ontario has even released a smartphone app called BeCon- nected. The app is supposed to help beekeepers and farmers connect with one another in an effort to share information and activities, as well as help reduce the impact of pesticides on the bee population. That's a pretty advanced application, if it works. And though I'm glad there are people out there working on this problem, big steps need to be taken to save our tiny yellow friends. But keep in mind, little steps are often appreciated too. So remember, before you run screaming for the bug spray, give bees a chance. Einstein said, "If the bee dis- appeared off the face of the earth, man would only have four years left to live." Call me crazy, but I think we should be doing all we can not to test that theory. Wit recycle ta 4; this paper rSEAFORTH HURON EXPOSITOR — HOURS OF MONDAY: 9:00 - 5:00 • TUESDAY: OPERATION - CLOSED • WEDNESDAY: - 9:00 - 5:00 • THURSDAY: - 9:00 - 5:00 • FRIDAY: - 9:00 - 5:00 • SATURDAY & SUNDAY: - CLOSED ADVERTISING DEADLINE: FRIDAY AT 2:00 • PHONE 519-527-0240 • FAX: 519-527-2858 www.seaforthhuronexpositor.com