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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1987-07-01, Page 28• • Page 16A Times -Advocate, July 1, 1987 Pyke says tax changes unnecessarily e.inpikated -_ Brigid Pyke, president of the On- tario Federation of Agriculture., welcomed the'retention of the $500,000 capital gains exemption for farmers, . but said other provisions announced by Finance Minister Michael Wilson will unnecessarily complicate •farmers' business and tax practices. "Farming is highly capital inten- sive, andfarm propertyis usually the only retirement fund a farmer has, So there are very good reasons why the proceeds from the sale of farm pro- perty are given special tax treatment. However, the benefits of this capital gains exemption are blunted by the existence of a minimum tax; and there was no signal from Mr. Wilson that this is going to change," said Pyke. The OFA president pointed out that the tax reform proposal sets new restrictions on the definition of farm property that would qualify for the ex - TALKING CONSERVATION — At Friday's Authority, Doug Gilpin of Thedford chats with Tingle. summer meeting of the Ausable-Bayfield Conservation chairman Gordon Johnston and financial co-ordintor Wayne Allow me. friends. one more col- umn to comment on capital punishment. Regular readers are well aware that 1 am against giving the state a licence to kill. Violence enshrined in • law simply gives violence the respec- tability of the law. ' Capital punishment gives vent to anger and vengeance. It is barbaric and, I believe, a regressive step in the evolution of the free world. Why, since the decision was made to abolish capital punishment in 1976. do we have to go through it all again. just so Brian Mulroney can fulfill an election promise? He has found it im- possible to keep all his promises, anyway. Why bother with this one? I '. ould like to ask those who favor capital punishment -- and I am always surprised to find so many Christians in the hand-'em'high camp how do you plan to kill the killers? The Bible says that those who smite and kill should besmitten and killed, too. So, how are you going to smite? You want to hang them? Seems to me we should find a better way. I have been told that it takes an expert hangman -- hangwoman'' -- to do it right. The rope must be exactly the right length and that is determined by the weight of the body. Instances have been reported where the rope was too short and the guilty party was left kicking and struggling. The hangman had to grab the victim and give a pull to break the neck. Or instances where the head was pulled off the body. You like that method? Well, what about electrocution. I once talked with a reporter who had witnessed one. He said the body jerk- ed convulsively and the smell of bur- ing flesh permeated the room. At least one electrocution in the United States has been recorded where not enough power was generated, the vic- tim received third degree burns and had to be re -electrocuted the next day: You like that method? Would you then suggest a lethal in- jection? In this country, nobody but a doctor can give such a thing and any doctor would be defying his Hip- pocratic oath by inserting that needle. So, who are you going to get to do the dastardly deed? Do you want to insert the needle? The gas chamber? It has also been tried and found wanting. Stories are told of victims being gassed but the gas dose, because effectiveness depends on body weight and breathing, was too light and the vic- tim screamed and stormed around the chamber for minutes before succumbing. Do you want to look through the window in the chamber when this method is used? At least two states across the border still use firing squads to ex- ecute killers. Do you want to be one of the squad members who pulls the trigger? It is an anachronistic method in this so-called enlightened age. The proponents of capital punish- ment should be prepared, then, to pull the triggers, turn the valves, push the syringe, flick the switch or pull the levers for these legalized killings. If capital punishment returns to Canada, no matter what methods us- ed, then every Canadian has his or her hand on the triggers, the valves, the syringes, the levers, the switches. I, for one, do not want that on my • conscience. Conservation agenda set economics of this system. ing the Tong -term productivity of their Guest speakers that day will in- soil, Conservation Day is an ideal op - elude Jim Shaw of Ridgetown Col- portunity to gain information from lege. He will address the aspects of farmers who successfully use conser- weed control in a reduced tillage vation practices. situation, stressing those points that The day starts at 10:00 a.m. with need to be considered as you change, tours of the farm anti machinery. The your conventional system to any of McGregor farm is located 21.2 miles the conservation tillage systems. south of Clinton and one mile west of Eric Devlaeminck, an area farmer, Hwy. 4. will relate his experience in conser- For more information on Conserve- vation tillage including the use of tion Day in Huron County contact the sweep bottom plows. Ministry of Agriculture and Food, For farmers interested in maintain- Clinton. The Huron Soil and Water Conser- vation District of the Huron Soil and Crop Improvement Association will be holding a Soil Conservation infor- mation day on Thursday, July 16. The theme of this years event is "Tillage For The Times". This event will give farmers an op- portunity to view conservation farm- ing practises on the farm of Jack and Norma McGregor. The day will con- centrate on Jack's success with ridge - till farming. the tools he uses and the Huron pork club starts Some pork producers in Huron County have formed a club to provide an'exchange of information on farm - management and the management of sow herds. About 10 producers attended the first meeting of the Huron Central Management Club recently held at the Clinton OMAF office. Future mon- thly meetings are planned to be held on a rotating basis at the homes of in- dividual club members. Andy Sande, OMAF pork advisor for Huron. County, said the producers who attended the inaugural meeting represented about 1,400 sows - from producers with about 30 sows to large- scale operators with about 500 sows. Sande said, "A really good cross- section" of producers attended the meeting. - Sande, who organized the initial NO MI lfi Nil fIIIII 1 TRUST 1 COMPANY 1 1 GUARANTEED 1 • CERTIFICATES 1 1' AVAILABLE 1 ttepresenting many trust , dm companies, highest rates • usually available. For more Information ▪ contact John R. Consitt 111 at 236-4381 or 236-4560 III 11111 MI III NI In IMO NO NM 4 1 meeting, said the club is sponsored by the Huron County Pork Producers Association under the auspices of the Ontario Pork Industry Improvement Plan. Grants up to a maximum of $5,000 to cover costs associated with administration, speakers and field trips are available to county pork associations through OPIIP's educa- tion component. Association spon- sored management clubs are eligible for those grants, he said. Club members, however, intend to make the club as self-supporting as possible. • Sande said he will attend club meetings and act as a resource and contact person. But the club is directed by the participants and there are no specific guidelines they have to follow. Club members have in- dicated they intend to elect their ex- ecutive at the next meeting. The ideal size for the management club is about 20 members with about 15 regularly attending the meetings. The clubs function best if producers feel comfortable and are honest with each other, said Sande. If.they were much larger, he said it would be dif- ficult to "Keep that atmosphere". Sande hopes about three or four clubs are established throughout Huron County. Ken Bate, of Goderich, manager of a 550 -sow farrow -to -finish operation owned by Case Vanden Iteuvel, said the farmer -oriented club should pro- vide a forum for the sharing of ideas by producers in the area. "More than likely if there's a problem in one area," he said, "we can discuss what we can do to fix it or prevent it." As well, each farmer does things a little differently .and the club will .1 enable producers to share ,ideas to become more productive and effi- cient, said Bate. Charley Zomdervan, a 70 -sow weaner pig and farrow -to -finish operator from RR 5 Goderich, is en- thusiastic about the club's possibilities. "I really think if we work at it we can get a pretty dandy management club there," he said. BRANDY POINT FARMS • Our breeding stock pro- vides our buyers with proven genetics from the top 3°-0 animals tested across, Canada • Our program enables us to offer quality and health at o price that is hard to beat • We have an ' ongoing supply of A.1. sired Hamp/Duroc, York and Lan- drace boars •and F1 York/Londrace gilts. All Boors are priced • from $273.5375 F1 York Landrace gilts are priced S55 above market hog value. • Our closed herd is ranked "Good" by the OMAF BRED GILTS ALSO AVAILABLE Delivery available KURT KELLER R.R. 1 Mitchell, Ontario 319-348.8043 emption. Farm property acquired to- day would have to be held at least two years, and gross income from other sources in order for the property to be classified a farm asset, Pyke further objected to the an- nouncement that farmers are going to have to file taxes on a "simplified ac- crual" system. "To a farmer," said Pyke, "that's a contradiction in terms. It may ' be simplified for Revenue Canada, but not lor us." Ninety two percent of Canadian farmers presently file under the cash accounting method. "I'm suspicious that this may be the start of the Government's move to veer the calculation of farm taxes toward a solely accrual basis." • ---Farmers--who have had to seek work off -farm to supplement meager farm incomes have not had their tax affairs simplified by the -tax reform proposal. Neither have they gained the ability to forward plan, said Pyke. - The Ontario -"Federation of Agriculture and the Canadian Federation of Agriculture presented a proposal to the Finance Department that would have met these two objec- tives, but the Wilson statement did not capitalize on the farm organizations' recommendations. "This white paper does not introduce any more certain- ty into tax planning for dual -income farmers, nor does it change until 1992 the requirement that farmers meet a very subjective'reasonable'expecta- tion of profit' criterion that we've found a problem for so many years," commented Pyke. As for the possiblity of a national sales tax - and the alternative of developing a business transfer tax or a value added tax - the leader of On- tario's largest farm organization said farmers will have to pay strict atten- tion to the implications of greatly in- creased taxes on their inputs and how this will affect the supermarket prices consumers will face. 1111M111111.r CHAPARAL FENCING R.R. 1, Lucan Ontario NOM 2J0 ALL TYPES FREE ESTIMATES Industria/ Fences Chain Link & Patio Farm Fences Phone Bob Hardy 227-4180 ) '`. .‘ ‘ 1 CONSERVATION TOPIC — Join Tinney, d Mousseau and John Stephen discuss lakeshore erosion at Friday's summer meeting of the Ausoble-Bayfield Conservation Authority. T -A photo Riddell announces pork producer aid . To impove health standards in the currently financially booming On- tario pork industry, provincial Agriculture Minister Jack Riddell an- nounced Thursday two grants which will help small producers in - particular. One grant will help producers im- prove or establish what are designated minimal disease swine herds over a five-year period, and the second grant will help maintain the status by introducing new genetic - strength through artificial insemina- tion, caesarean section of embryo transfers, he said. The announcement was made at a meeting of the Ontario Pork Congress. The direct farmer grants for restocking or establishing a minimal disease swine herd include: • $100 for each gilt, sow or boar to a maximum of $10,000 for animals purchased from a closed disease - protected herd classified "excellent" under the Ontario Swine Herd Health Policy: • • $50 to a maximum of $5,000 for each gilt, sow or boar purchased from a closed herd that is classified as "good : " and, • $500 per sow to a maximum of $10,000 for each caesarepn section on McBRIDE BROS. Machine and Repair • Precision Machining and Milling • Custom Built Trailer and Truck Boxes • Combine and Tractor Repairs • Machinery • Sandblasting & Repainting 262-3020 Brad 262-3227 Dennis 262-2616 a sow or each donor sow used from embryo transfer. Eligible producers must consult with a ministry veterinarian before restocking and follow strict guidelines for establishing the -new herd: The second grant will help buildup to six commercial caesarean section and embryo transfer facilities al strategic locations across the pro- vince. The grant includes two-thirds of the cost of materials to a maximum of $20,000. VAN EYL 10T DUMP TRAILER W/ RACKS a.i,53,495 • 350 bu. capacity removal racks • Tandem Axle • 1 1 L x 15 8 ply tires • Round bale rack available • Economical and versatile ORDER YOURS NOW! jall OMB. Et FARM EQUIPMENT LTD. "Serving You For 55 Years" T xeter r Dashwood 235.2121 `�'+����237.3242 We're Fully Equipped for any Job Farm ponds Gravel Bailing • Trucking • Gravel, Sand & Stone • Bulldozing • Excavating • Top Soil • Septic Systems "No job is too big or too small" Res. 482-9212 Trucking - Excavating Clinton Shop 482-9926 fi