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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1978-05-11, Page 8PAGE 8-..CLINTON NEWS -RECORD, THURSDAY, MAY 11, 1978 Huron County OFA strongly opposes tax reform • By Keith Roulston Despite emotional appeals that the Huron County Federation of Agriculture support the Ontario Federation's stand on land tax reform, members voted strongly against the OFA proposal for farm tax reform Thursday night. About 50 . attended the meeting in Belgrave, many saying they had come to the monthly meeting of the Federation only because they had heard a vote would be taken on the proposal. They wanted no part of OFA's proposal that food producing land be tax exempt and farmers only pay taxes on their farm homes and a minimal acreage around the house. Speaker after speaker doubted the government's motives in the proposal to ease the burden on land tax by paying the taxes for far- mers on all but their homes. In supporting the motion against the policy of OFA and the proposal of the provincial government, Jim McIntosh, director for east central Huron said that 'a large majority of farmers in Huron are not willing to have the government pay tax on all but the farm house. There is nothing wrong .with the market value assessment which the province will be adopting, he said, if all properties are justly assessed. As a former clerk: treasurer for Tuckersmith township, he said, he didn't like the farm tax proposal. He said the OFA should stick to its original proposal of people taxes paying for service to people and property taxes paying for services to property. Debate stopped at this point when Merle Gunby, vice- president of the Huron Federation and director from north west Huron to OFA moved a tabl,�' motion which was defeated. Mr. Gunby claimed that the time for opposition to the OFA policy was earlier and that now that the policy had been accepted by OFA, the county should stand behind the provincial decision. After the tabling motion's defeat, Jim Armstrong of Wingham said he felt that the government's proposal was part of the government's cheap food policy. He noted a meeting of consumer groups and labour unions some time ago in which both groups called for public ownership of food producing land as a way of keeping food prices down. He wondered what would happen if he didn't pay the taxes on his house for three years therefore making it liable for tax sale. Who would then get the land on the farm, he wondered. Land taxes make up only about one per cent of input costs, he said, and weren't that serious a problem for farmers: Maurice Bean, director for central west Huron defended the OFA policy. He said that farmers seemed to be happy with the 50 per cent rebate on taxes that the OFA won to offset education taxes so what was the fuss over 100 per cent. If farmers feel so strongly about paying their share of taxes, he said, then why did farmers want exemptions from sales tax on items they buy? George Underwood of • Wingham said that he was concerned that many of the OFA directors from across the province who approved the policy don't really know what's going on. He said that at an information meeting held earlier in Clinton the OFA executive didn't seem to get the message that farmers didn't like the policy. Maybe now they'd listen, he said. Ernie Ackert, a visiting C ANGE IN NAME INDEPENDENT SHIPPER TO United Co -Operatives of Ontario Livestock Department Toronto Ship your livestock wlfh FRANK VOOGEL Dashwood Monday Is shipping day from Varna Stockyard previously Roy Scotchmer Call Dashwood 231-2707 or Bayfield S6S-2636 S y 7:30 a.m. Monday for prompt service He degrees on pick-up member of the Bruce Federation, related the story of a number of lakes on farms in Bruce codnty where, during the depression the owners had asked that they be relieved of paying taxes on the water portion of the lake since it was non-productive farmland. Later these owners discovered that they had lost ownership of the lake portions of their farm on their deeds and the lakes were now owned by the government. Paul Ross, a Clinton lawyer, said that before coming to Clinton he felt that the ministry of revenue themselves didn't seem to know where they were going with land tax reform. ,"Why take chances with your own land?" he wondered. Gordon Hill, past president of OFA came to the defence of the OFA policy saying he believed the government was sincere in its proposal. As far back as 1948, he' said, the Federation had been asking for tax relief. Under a great deal of stress, the govern- ment did come up with the education tax rebate in 1970, he said. He said the gover- nment's task in reform was complicated by the pledge of former agriculture minister Bill Stewart that any new taxation system would not be harder on the farmer than the old system. With the education tax rebate and the fact that the whole tax assessment could be claimed as an expense it meant that farmers were only paying about 10 per cent of their assessed taxes, he said. As for the OFA policy of people taxes for people services and land taxes for land services, he said, the problem was just what were the services to land. The land itself didn't need any services if there weren't any people around. Without tax reform, he said, how could Ontario farmers compete with far- mers in» Alberta or New Brunswick who don't have to pay property tax? He said the new policy for farm tax reform was a good one because he thought the government was going to raise a lot more money from land taxes in the future than they had in the past. The OFA had two options, he said. It could continue to say it would go along with the old policy, or it could' say "we've tried, but now it's time to make a deal." Jim Hallahan, RR 3, Blyth termed Mr. Hill's arguments "a lot of bull". He said he had recently taken part in a survey of farmers in East Wawanosh township and many were irate about the OFA policy. He said that if OFA went through with the policy it would lose half its membership in Huron county. Frank Wall of the OFA executive was present at the meeting and said that the report of the committee -studying land( ,tax reform recognizes the rights of the farmer to his land even if he doesn't pay taxes on the land. Others supporting the OFA policy said that the ownership of the land depends not on who pays the taxes, but on who owns the deed. But Mr. Ross argued that just because you have the deed to property doesn't mean you own it. Another speaker warned that if the government is looking ahead with this policy, it's looking ahead to a cheap food policy. The policy will be a great incentive to farmers to buy up more farms, wipe out the farm houses to keep down the taxes and just work the land. It will make the countryside look barren, he argued. Mr. Gunby then returned with an emotional speech in support of the OFA policy, refuting many of�the earlier arguments against the policy. He claimed that a move by Huron county to oppose an OFA policy would weaken the position of OFA and make it look ridiculous. He said that the new proposal wouldn't mean that farmers weren't paying their fair share of taxes because it likely wouldn't mean any difference in the amount of tax they paid. He said that if the government really did want to get control of farmland then it could find much easier ways than under the new tax proposals. He argued that farmers shouldn't be against seeking a better break for themselves because industry is always taking government tax concessions. • Mr. Gunby said that he hadn't seen the figures of what market value assessment would mean to tax bills in Huron, but in Halton region it would mean an increase of four times the present taxes and farmers couldn't afford a bill like that. He said the OFA stand was approved by about 90 per cent of the directors from across the province at the March meeting in Toronto. A procedural hassle then arose since the meeting had run past the 11 p.m. deadline set by the Federation for completion of the monthly meeting. Several people insisted that a vote be taken on the motion. Mr. Gunby tried to block the vote by moving another motion to table because he said the motion was not properly directed as to who it should be referred to. This was shouted down. Finally, Gordon Hill suggested the motion be sent to the OFA as the policy of the Huron Federation. The vote was taken and showed strongly in favour of the motion, opposing OFA policy. Mr. Gunby said he could not argue in favour of the motion in Toronto and offered his resignation. Mr. Hill said that wasn't necessary saying the motion can simply be stated as policy of the Huron group without having to be supported by Mr. Gunby or any of the other Huron directors. The large and still solid trusses of the Bayfield arena will Take an excellent barn for someone, as workmen last week began tearing the structure down. The building was condemned last year by the provincial government and the village has decided to build a new recreational complex. Used building materials are for sale at the site. (phyto by Milvena Erickson) news farm news Farmers plan project at Bluewater Centre The Huron County Junior Farmers are sponsoring a totally newproject this summer. With the help of several residents at the Bluewater Centre for the Developmentally Han- dicapped and ' one Junior Farmer member hired for the summer, they are going to plant, .weed, harvest and market a vegetable garden. The residents have a garden tractor,` plough and tillers which will be used to care for a three-quarter acre garden. The Centre, which has been in operation for two years, is anxious to make use of the surrounding property, while at the same time, to preserve the rural setting and to provide agricultural training for some of the residents. The Junior Farmers hope to make a profit from the project and return a portion of it 1 into improving the garden of the facilities at the Centre for additional resident training and summer em- ployment for Junior Far - Pork congress set for June_ The Ontario Pork Congress, now in its fifth year, will be held at the' Stratford Coliseum June 20-22. It is the largest event of its kind on the continent and has programs to interest everyone, from producers of breeding stock and commercial producers to veterinarians and con- sumers. Jack Underwood, promotion chairman of the Congress, says he expects more than 10,000 people to attend the event. The Congress will be bigger than ever this year, with more than 125 exhibitors displaying products and services under one roof. Daily attractions include a feature program from 10 a.m. to noon, • and consumer education programs begin- ning at 2 p.m. One of this year's highlights will be a special symposium on manure management on June 21 at 2 p.m. The Ontario Pork Hostess competition, held annually to select a representative for the pork industry, is scheduled June 22 from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Of special interest to producers is the A11 -Ontario show day, June 20. About 120 purebred pigs will be judged. Organizers expect to top last year's $63,000 sale total at the '/3 HP SHALLOW WELL PUMP :15x9.°° 1111111110 uws FILTERS S& R-'30.95 T & O - '32.25 CARTRIDGES S&R-'3.aoEA. T&O-'7.22 EA. MEM MM. MIMI 1-1/6 HP. SH. WELL PUMP 1 -FILTER (S&R OR Tao) BOTH FOR $169." MAY SPECIAL EPPS SALES and SERVICE CLINTONr ONTARIO FARM PRICE WITH ,. (Hwy. 1 East) 482-3418 CERTIFICATE p..1.11111111111111.1111.111.111111111111111111111111114 , F � sale day, June 21. The sale will include the top 10 car- casses from the market hog competition. Two hundred and ten pigs have been on test since March 9: The will complete the test period June 1 Feeder pig day will be held June 22 with a morning show of weaners between 40 and 60 pounds. An auction will follow in the afternoon. In con- junction with the shows and sales, a junior program for young people aged 12 to 19 is planned. For more information about the Congress contact The Ontario Pork Congress, P.O. Box 61, Stratford, Ontario (519) 625-8811. mers. The whole purpose of this project is to give the residents practical training which will hopefully enable them to return to the community with added skills. But, to be successful with this project, the Junior Farmers need the support of the community. Support could be shown through monetary donations or better still through donations of seeds, fertilizer and plants. The project doesn't stop after planting. The Junior Farmers hope to sell all their fresh produce at competitive prices within the community and at local stores. It's hoped that this could be an annual community bet- terment project. For further information, contact Mary Anne Alton at the Bluewater Centre, Goderich. Are you looking for a new van with additional seating? ...:::.i•`.•..c;..„,.i�.::•.;:�.,S;z.;.Yj}r,}:�. •�'.,....,>:,;:•�'#�r.;::%<: r.i � l::r •:.�•.t:f.•�tr:s:. . c z2 ., 1 I, .1 1I 1 l :1 :1 t; .tip:.,•.. ,,,...<•�.. ... WE HAVE THE FOLLOWING IN STOCK 1978 GMC RALLY STX % TON in Dark Slue. Serial No. 507167.8 passenger, roof vent, chrome mirrors, heavy duty shocks. stabilizer, 350 V$, automatic. power steering. power brakes, radio, white walls, gauges. List price 'SM.”. - 1978 GMC RALLY STX 1/2 TON Finished In Dark Rose and White with tinted windshield, moulding package, heavy duty shodcs, stabilizer, automatic. power brakes, power steering, 350 VS, cruise con- trol, 21 gallon fuel tank, wheel discs. AM/FM stereo with tape player, gauges. white walls, roof vent. Serial NO. 517311. List 4531.85. 1978 GMC RALLY STX 1/2 TON Finished In Light Slue and White, tinted windshield, moulding package, chrome mirrors. heavy duty shocks, stabilizer, 350 VS, automatic, power brakes, gauges, radio. Serial No. 500215. List Price 13/1." DEDUCT $1000 FROM ANY OF THE ABOVE LIST PRICES We will also accept trade-ins LOTS OF OTHER VANS & LIGHT DUTY PICKUPS IN STOCK IV! �G E E Pontiac -Buick Cadilluc GMC Trucks HAMILTON STREET, GODERICH 524-8391 Cool spring good for growers While many of us have been lamenting the late spring, fruit growers have been rejoicing. Bob Wilcox, fruit and vegetable specialist for the Ontario ministry of agriculture and food in Vineland, says growers are pleased about the late spring because it has delayed blossoming. The delay in blossoming means that the danger of frost will be past by the time the blossoms appear. "Du,fing the past two springs we have had blossoms open in the early • part of May. Then we worry for weeks about frost damage." This delay also gives growers a chance to prune and brush out the orchards and vineyards before the buds open. "It is particularly im- portant to tie the vines before the buds begin to grow. It takes a long time to tie the estimated 14 million vines in the Niagara Peninsula." Fruit growers have been caught short of time for the past two years. The earliest springs on record occurred in 1977 and 1976. "We had only 26 heat units by ,mid-April, compared with 179 heat units last year. We normally can expect about 87 heat units by mid-April." Although bud development is about a month behind last year, it won't take long to catch up. "All we need is about four days of temperatures above 20 degrees Celsius. I expect the blossoms will appear between May 19 and 21 this year.- Beat ear:' Beat the High Cost of Small Engine Repair! Until May 13, 1 will tune up your lawnmower or garden tiller for only 1Z. (Parts extra). Indudes shar- pening and balance blade. ell change. adjust carburetor. check Ignition. Pickup and delivery can be arranged. For your Spring Clean -Up... UNTIL MAY 6 1O% OFF ON ALL NEW LIGHT -WEIGHT REMINGTON CHAINSAWS HANK'S SMALL ENGINE SALES & SERVICE 1 Mile North of Londesboro 523-9202 CISTERN PUMP 3" cylinder. Closed spout. 31/2" stroke. Tapped for 1'/e" pipe. PUMPS X29.95 CLINTON HOME HARDWARE Albert Street 412-7023 HUN1I 11IACUIII Clean Up Quick John Deere High -Pressure Washers. Cut your big cleaning jobs down to size with a no -scrub cleaning machine from John Deere. We have four high-pressure'washer models with nozzle pressures from 500 to 1.100 psi. Just plug your washer into household current. hook up to a cold water supply and you're in business. Come in and pick out the washer that meets your needs. MODEL A 18 Reg. $420.00 CLEAN UP QUICK SPECIAL NEW LOW PRICE 372°°