The Exeter Times-Advocate, 1975-04-17, Page 8 (2)ll+l�i •
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
1$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 Tess 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 roll, 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
8250 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
8250 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
83.000 to $6.0X)0 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 I. 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
debattes 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
81.67 billion compared with 81.03
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." He said "It's a terrible
budget. This isn't an economic
document . It's a political
document."
Highlights from the new budget
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 new 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 8500,000 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
8800.00 as a loan under . the
Federal Government's Canada
Students Loan Plan, which is
adniinistered 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
()SAP and living away from
home will be increased from
$32.00 to 840.00 per week; the
allowance for miscellaneous
expenses, which was increased
from $9.80 to 811.50 per week In
the current year will remain at
811.50 and local transportation
allowances will be increased to
83.00 and 86.00 per week
depending on how far the student
lives from campus. The
alowances in the current year are
82.50 and 85.00. These changes
bring total living allowances to
854.50 or 857.50 per week.
The Ontario Student Loans
Plan will benefit people such as
part-time 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 loansofup
to 81,400.00 over a normal
academic year to a maximum of
84,000.00. The terms and con-
ditions 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 8125.00 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.
Introducing
the new Ontario Lottery
"For a buck a throw,
she sure sounds
like she's a
ring -clang -do
of a Iottery":
clt-\Rut.1 %R[1t 1t. RSu\
I RO%1 I'\RR1 SOt \I)
viSx
here in Ontario. Things we can all enjoy.
So you see, Charlie, with Wintario we're
all going to win.
1 SupPort yam,
sports and yer
physical fittings,
you say? About the
only thing that
runs 'round
here is my
Allis - Chalmers':
the McMichael Collection in Kleinburg, big
art galleries like the Ontario Art Gallery and
small local galleries. For giants 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, modem and
ethnic dance troupes.
Charlie, they're
all important.
Well Charlie, it's the
Same with most of us.
So Wintario will help support big
sporting events like the•Ontario
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 foreveryone,
everywhere in Ontario.
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
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
"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 another,
we know you're going to win. With Wintario,
we all win.
It our o lottery and
we all win
ONTARIO LOTTERY CORPORATION
1411754
•