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The Exeter Times-Advocate, 1975-04-17, Page 8• Highlights from, the new budg Introducing the new Ontario Lottery "For a buck a throw, she sure sounds ,--4,0000, like she's a ring-clang-do of a lotte CHARLIE FARQUHARSON FROM PARRY SOUND You were never more right, Charlie. We're going to call it Wintario. And, with a new draW every two weeks for a grand prize of $100,000 tax free and up to 1350 other big cash prizes, it's going to make a whole lot of people all over Ontario very happy. Price of the tickets? Just $1.00. And they'll be almost everywhere. Places like cigar stores, newsstands, gas stations, milk stores, grocery stores, restaurants—that's right, almost anywhere. But that's just the begin- ning. Through the Ministry of Culture and Recreation, the millions of dollars raised by the lottery will help support a wide range of activities and facilities right here in Ontario. Things we can all enjoy. So you see, Charlie, with Wintario we're all going to win. ffd "Support yer sports and yer physical fittings, you say? About the only thing that runs 'round here is my Allis - Chalmers". Well Charlie, it's the same with most of us. So Wintario will help support big sporting eventslike'theOitafid Summer Games. And small events like building a new ball diamond in your town. And coaching clinics so our kids get the best instruction. There'll be something for.everyone, everywhere in Ontario. And more, Charlie. Wintario will help support hundreds of historical projects across Ontario. Places like Ste. Marie Among the Hurons, Nancy Island Museum and Old Fort William. And preserving our past through the work of the Ontario Heritage Foundation, for example. And more, Charlie. Lottery dollars will provide huge assistance for groups like the Ontario Arts Council. For visual arts programs like "No question, you gotta preserve yer hysterical sights and yer monumental statuatory". the McMichael Collection in Kleinburg, big art galleries like the Ontario Art Gallery and small local galleries. For grants to local painters, potters and sculptors to continue pro- ducing and growing. And for musicians of all ages all over the province, all the way from small town Barbershoppers to big city symphonies. Plus, money to support play- house theatres, drama societies, modern and ethnic dance troupes. Charlie, they're all important: "Say now, reminds me, we'll be needing a new buffoon for the Parry Sound Sympathy Orchestra'''. You've got the right idea, Charlie. Now, be sure you get a ticket. First draw is May 15th and tickets go on sale in April. One way or anothe we know you're going to win. With Wintario, we all win. It's our own !often, and we all win HH75 ONTARIO LOTTERY CORPORATION Page8. School students anticipating post-secondary education will be pleased to know that the Ministry of Colleges and Universities will make available to students, in the 1975-76 academic year more financial assistance, including two ndw student assistance programs. The new programs are the Ontario. Student Loans, Plan, which is intended to help many of the students ineligible for aid from the Federal Government's Canada Students Loan Plan, and the Ontario Special Bursary Program, which will provide up to $500,000 to help the most needy part-time students. Ontario Student Assistance Program provides assistance to full-lime post-secondary students who are unable to pay the, full costs of their education .and related expenses. About two out of every five students in Ontario receive financial aid from this program. Over a normal academic year students eligible for assistance receive the first $800.00 as a loan, under the Federal Government's Canada Students Loan Plan, which is administered. through OSAP in Ontario, Students who qualify for ad- ditional assistance received it from the Province in the form of a non-repayable grant. Board and lodging allowance for students receiving aid from OSAP. and living away from home will be increased from $32.00 to $40.00 per week; the allowance for. Miscellaneous expenses, which was increased from $L80 to WM per week in the current year will remain. at $11.50 and local transportation allowances will be increased to $3.00 and $6.00 per week depending on how far the student lives from campus, The alowances in the current year are $2.50 and .$5,00. These changes bring total living allowances to $59.50 or $57.50 per week, The Ontario Student Loans Plan will benefit people such as. part-lime students, taking cer- tain up-grading programs and students who are ineligible for Canada Student Loans because the length or entry requirements of their programs do not meet Federal regulations. The program will provide loans of up. to. $1,400.00 over a normal academic year to a maximum of $4,000,00. 'The terms and .con- claim's of the laons are expected to be similar to those of the Canada Student Loans Plan. under which no repayment is required and the loans are in- terest free until six months after the conclusion of studies, The new Ontario Special Bursary program will aid people in serious financial need who may be able to improve their financial situation by taking .one or more post-secondary courses. Applicants to the program must be receiving social assistance, be unemployed or have a low family income. People eligible for assistance will receive funds to cover the costs of their tuition, other compulsory fees, books and equipment, They may also receive an, additional allowance of up to $125.00 per term to help meet exceptional costs such as baby sitting, day-care or unusual transportation expenses. Details of student assistance programs 'can be obtained from student award officers of Universities and Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology or from the Student Awards Branch, Ministry of Colleges and Universities, Queen's Park, • • By JACK RIDDELL. M.P,P, On April 7 the Provincial Treasurer brought down the new Ontario Budget, and following are some of the highlights which will be debated in detail in the Legislature, Effective April 8 the basic Retail Sales Tax will be 5 percent instead of 7 percent, although this is only until December 31, 1975. The Ontario GAINS rate will rise to $240 per month per person ($480 a married couple) as of May and a further 7,000 pen- sioners will be eligible for GAINS, raising the total number of beneficiaries to 310,000 this year. There will also be free drugs for all those over 65, although anyone who has lived in Ontario less than ten years must apply to the Ministry of Revenue. This will be effective August 1. Some 450,000 low income taxpayers will be removed from the Ontario income tax rolls in 1975. No income tax will be paid by a single person earning $3,583, a married couple with $5,323 annually, a family of four with $6,033, and a single pensioner with $5,547. There is to be a grant to first- time home buyers to encourage an increase in home ownership. Anyone purchasing or building a home for the first time will be eligible for a $1,000 grant from the Province, plus an additional $250 in each of the two succeeding years, for a total of $1,500. This program remains in effect until December 31, 1975 only, and covers both new and used homes, applying regardless of the price of the home or the income of the purchaser. To qualify the home must be the principal residence of the applicant, and title or possession must be taken during the eligibility period. However, this $1,500 cannot be used towards a down payment, because it is only paid after the deal is closed, and the 2nd and 3rd instalments of $250 each are only paid if ownership is retained. Retail Sales Tax is to be eliminated on all purchases of production machinery and equipment effective April 8 and this applies to orders for machinery and equipment placed on or after that date and before January 1. Delivery must be taken on or before December 31, 1977. The maximum small business tax credit will be doubled from $3,000 to $6,000 annually, and there are also changes in the succession duty and gift tax. Ontario will introduce measures to supplement where necessary the federal Agricultural Products Stabilization Act currently before the House of Commons, and owners of managed forests who are residents in Ontario will be eligible for a rebate of 50 percent of property taxes on forests. In connection with the Provincial Sales Tax, effective July 1, 1975 vendors will be paid compensation for costs incurred in collecting and remitting sales tax. They may withhold 3 percent of tax collected up to a maximum of $500 in any fiscal year. I shall elaborate on these measures and others contained in the Budget in the coming weeks, and will report to you on the debates in the Legislature upon these measures and the estimates of the individual ministries. Liberal Leader Robert Nixon's initial reaction was to charge the government with "fiscal irresponsibility" in bringing down another deficit budget. This government has "added a $4 billion net debt to the Province, in the four years since Mr. Davis became premier." In this 1975-76 budget, govern- ment spending is increased to an estimated $10.2 billion from the $8.7 billion spent in the last fiscal year. The deficit, including non- budgetary items, is estimated at $1.67 billion compared with $1.03 billion expected for the fiscal year ending March 31st, 1975. Mr. Nixon asked "How can we possibly stand the kind of fiscal irresponsibility that this treasurer is putting forward in a situation which is , in- flationary?" Many other Opposition Members described the budget as cynical, irresponsible and a deliberate vote-catcher, Stephen Lewis, referring to the sale tax reduction being effective only Until the end of the year, said "It is cynical in the extreme to reduce it just for the period of an election." lie' aid "It's a terrible budget'. This isn't an economic document. It's a political document."