The Goderich Signal-Star, 1982-03-31, Page 4(�
PAGE 4 —GODERICH SIGNAL -STAR, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 31, 1982
DAV E
SYKES
Government agencies are frightening and
its as if their raison d'etre is simply to scare
the beejeepers out of average citizens and
keep them in line.
I, personally, wouldn't contemplate trying
to put the screws to Revenue Canada and
attempt to claim expensive lunches, that
never materialized, on my income tax
returns. I have a certain reverence for the
intangible.
Nobody can see Revenue Canada and as
far as I know, nobody has ever seen
Revenue Canada. It's just a government
agency that exists somewhere , everywhere
with a predilection for instilling fear and
loathing in law abiding citizens.
For years, I have faithfully prepared my
own income tax return`s, honestly; ever
mindful of the watchful eye of Revenue
Canada. Each year I carefully scrutinize the
tax guide that has made income tax
i-- calculations so simple, the government
claims,that any bozo but myself could
prepare a decent and honest return.
Subsequent to the preparation and sub-
mission of said tax return, I nervously await
word and direction. from Revenue Canada.
While 'my returns are, for the most .part,
honest, accurate, and prepared in an ef-
ficacious manner, some overpriced .num-
bers man at Revenue Canada takes the time'
to write a little note.
Dear Mr. Sykes -enjoyed your 1982 ren-
dition of the income tax return (giggle,
giggle) but we have reworked your figures
and instead of a return of $200 you now owe
us $350.
I get those personal notes regularly and
while my errors have been trite, I know-
Revenue Canada believes my returns are
prepared in a surreptitious manner. It
scares me.
I know nothing of this agency or if the
employees 'who take the tiiiie"to write
personal notes to me are actually hu`trsan.
But, every year they carefully survey my
meagre income and deductions and make
arbitrary changes. I have a terrible feeling
my name is on a hit list.
One day, I suspect, three burly, truculent
sorts will jump out of ,a Revenue Canada
economy car in front of my house, handcuff
this wretched writer and explain to the
missus as they drag me away, "Sorry mam.
He screwed up on his pension plan con-
tribution deductions. We've got orders to
take him away."
People whose returns are obviously
fraudulent don't have such fears and I'an
sure they sleep at nights. Perhaps I should
feel honored that Revenue Canada and I are
on a first name basis and the boys take the
time to drop a line..
Another organization of the clandestine
variety is Statistics Canada, an agency that
is a veritable wealth of information on every
subJect from the average family size, in-
cofme, the number of unemployed
Canadians and the number of hockey pucks,
per household. If ever there was an offigial
record keeper of insignificantstatistics, it's
StatsCan.
Again, •StatsCan is a phantom
organization, and the emoplyees are
mercenaries as far as I'm concerned. There
was a concise promulgation in the daily
press this week from StatsCan which
outlined the poverty level in Canada.
Apparently it has risen by 25 per cent the
last two years.
So if your family's salary was below the
poverty line two years and raises did not
equal 25 per cent in that time, guess what?
You're still poor.
How can some educated jerk, earning at
least $35,000 spends his day figuring out
what the poor need to earn annually to
remain poor. We don't need poor guidelines.
Millions of dollars are spent so some
slovenly sluggard can check these figures to
determine if he's poor.
- So listen up gang. If a family- of four
earned less than $16,000 annually and lived
in a city of 500,000 yes, they are poor. And
thank you for letting them in on the secret
StatsCan.
BLUE
RIBBON
AWARD
1979
Second class
mail registration
number -0716
SINCE 1848
THE NEWS PORT FOR GODERICH & DISTRICT
founded in 11145 and published every Wednesday of Ooderlch, Ontarllb. Member of the CCNA and OWNA. *dyer.
thing rotes on request. Subscriptions payable In advance '111.1111 In Canada, 94.M to U.S.A.,,'MAI to all other coun-
tries, single copies S4'. Display adverrIsing rates available on request. please ask for Rete Card No. 11 effective Oc-
tober 1. 111111. Second class mall Registration Number 1714. Advertising 1s accepted on the condition that In the
event of typograpihlcal error, the advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with reasonable
allowance for signature, will not be charged for but that balance of the advertisement will be pold for at the ap-
plicable rote. In the event of a. typographical error advertising gods or nor -Wane, a wrong price. goods or services
may not be sold. Advertising Is merely an offer to sell. and may be withdrawn et any time. The Signal -Star is not
responsible for the 'osier damage of unsolicited manuscripts, photos or other materials used for reproducingpur-
pmts.
PUBLISHED BY: SIGNAL -STAR PUBLISHING LIMITED
ROBERT G. SHRIER-President and Publisher
DONALD M. HUBICK-Advertising Manager
DAVID SYKES-Editor
P.O. BOX 220,
HUCKINS ST.
INDUSTRIAL PARK
GODERICH N7A 486
FOR BUSINESS OR EDITORIAL OFFICES please phone (51.9) 524-8331
e bullet
It is the Wig ironies that often make life more difficult
to comprehend• and, atttimes, frustrating.
The Canadian government has created one of those little
ironies in the form; of Gerald,Boueyi, governor of the Bank
o£ ada4$'o ear ita`toting withthe economr vtionsi,.
weeldj!'intereat charges to®the major Canadian ding
institutions .
The interest rates have held steady for a three-month
periodand eventhough this week's rate is not the highest
during that period, the banks raised the prime rate to 17
per cent. '
That caused" spine problems on Parliament Hill where-
Bovey was a target of criticism for opposition members
who are seeking relief from high interest rates to ease the
financial burden on all Canadians. -
,But Bouey is taking a tough stand and the Bank of
Canada governor is Sticking to his high -interest -rate.
policy until inflation eases. That could mean that ,Bouey
will inflict high interest rates on Canadians for quite a
while, .
He is insisting that lowering of, interest rates will only
serve to.devalue -the Canadian, dollar On the world market
' "and that would subsequently lead to at ins of funds
from the Canadiadeconomy,1oss of jobs a, .. deepening
recession. .
So Bouey will continue to fight the inflationary process
with inflated interest.rate charges. Maybe there is a hint
of merit in the methodology but it's tough to swallow when •
the man .makes in Te cess of $100,000 to make. 'this..
decision on behalf of the people who -are suffering. That is
a crime in itself. - -
Anyone who makesthat kind of money is out of touch
with: the problems facing the average Canadian.
Life is. full of little ironies but it's a pity we have to be
raped by some of them.D.S. -
Royalty hasit. tough
The economy has become as important a topic of con-
versation these days as the weather. It's a natural ice
breaker and like the weather, it's there day after day and
everyone. has a comment or two to pass along.
One of the maim reasons people like to talk about
weather and, more recently, an ailing economy, 'is that
°there seems to be,an inherent need for complaining. While
there isn't much sympathy to go around these days people
tend to Teel better- •and ":somewhat :relieved' having Conn;
plained about they cold temperatures or high .interest
rates.
Inflation and high interest rates are affecting everyone
and penny pinching and strict budgets are common
factors in most families,. And while the effects of a sagging
economy have far reaching implications, it is interesting
to note that even Buckingham Palace is finding it hard to
make ends meet these days.
Things are getting tough when the monarchy has to take,
a serious look at the budget, but it has finally reached that
point. Queen Elizabeth, in' order to reduce costs, has cut
staff severely at the palace and there is fear that further
reductions are imminent.
Times are so tough. the Palace has reduced 'staff by 20
people to 346 which is a skeleton crew to handle the chores.
The wage bill for that meagre cleanup gang is $4.2 million
o the Queen's budget plight is obvious,
The palace is going the way of modern technology to'cut
the $90,000 in mailing costs required to reply to the whims •
of the Subjects. r
Nobody said life was easy and despite an eight per cent
increase to $8.5 million inthegonc rnment's-payments.,to ,...
run the monarchy, the queen is co'itfimitted to -a new life of
restraint. The $8.5 million is used to cover costs of the
queen's official duties but there are no figures�available
on the total cost of running the royal family.
Some estimates go as high as'$27 million but the family
does have added expenses of a royal yacht, royal train and
royal - aircraft. The darn things are costly to maintain
these days.
But the dear queen is helping out tdo and last year she
dipped .into royal savings to contribute $150,000 towards
the cost of running royal affairs. for the year.
Times are tough when royalty is forced into a situation
where knick-knack dusters are removed from the payroll.
And you thought you had it bad. D.S.
Openhfrnkbo�k
Canada's bankers are under the gun, and it's perhaps
important that the House of Commons Finance Com-.
mittee hold an inquiry intobank prrfits, says the
Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB)
The problem, of course, is that in recent years the banks
have been chalking up staggering profit increases, while
the rest of the nation has been biting the bullet during a
difficult economic period: To the public, it appears that
everyone is hurting, except the banks. The banks say this
isn't so, but it's•perhaps suggestive.that the bankers are
running a million dollar advertising compel -girl to explain
their position to the public. „
• ' Like the oil industry before them, the banks seem to
believe that advertising can win converts to their side.
Bili it s gdifig to be tdt'igh sledding. ,
Convincing .people of the worthiness of such a cause
when the same institution is forced to deal with
foreclosures on businesses, homes, farms, and even cars,
is difficult, says the CFIB.
Nevertheless, the banks would be forced to lay the
statistics on the line during such an inquiry and there
'would undoubtedly be tough questions on the reason for
interest rate spreads that are higher than average. And
the reason for an increase to 24 percent in credit cards
rates - when the cost of money is markedly lower than it
was even six months ago - would probably be on the
agendas
, There's no question, the banks are vulnerable, and easy
marks for their opponents. Yet it should be remembered
that Canada's banking system is indeed more solid than
that in the United States, and that has been one stable
factor in our unstable economy. If the -government ever
got too rough, the repercussions on international money
Markets°'inortld'be.felt "i eedifitely :7 yam blitbadt6n.:ft..
An honest inquiry could be good for everyone, assuming
that open-minded politicians are prepared to be fair and
objective, says,the CFIB.
Enticement
By Dave Sykes
DEAR READERS
ELLER
HIIRLEY K ....
At the outset, let me say I'm in a rotten mood.
I've had a miserable cold that keeps me up all
, night coughing; and now to add insult to injury, 1
must make an emergency trip to the dentist to.
get repairs for a broken tooth. •
It's been a fine week so far - and it has put me
in a•rare and reflective frame of mind.
It could be the lack of sleep that's done it, but
I'm so totally led up with the people who live in
this great nation, I could stand up and scream (if
that would help). Unfortunately,. all I can do is
pound out my two cents worth in this column -
and hope that someone out there agrees with me.
Just for openers, I understand that university
professors in Ontario are asking for free
university tuition for their sons and daughters.
Over my dead body unless of course, benevolent
Bill Davis and the boys agree it is politically
advantageous for them to grant such a ridiculous
request.
Then there is the heartwrenching story about
the Edmonton transit workers who have suc-
cessfully strongarmed the city. into a 46 per cent
wage increase. An Edmonton driver now gets $12
an hour, retroactive to January 10 this year, up
from $9.85 - and another $1 per hour on January
9,1983 plus another $1.40 per hour on July 10, 1983:
That's $14.40 an hour for 1,500 drivers who
motor up and down Edmonton street stopping at
°corners and opening and closing the bus door.
And I know seasoned newspaper reporters
working all kind's of crazy hours who get paid
$250 a week to write about turkies like that.
The Edmonton drivers are getting decently
paid too in relation to skilled tradesmen at
Morthe n `"i`e ec i ' ' `iii t®iidori, "Ittagrialea;
Belleville, Kingston and St. John, New Brun-
swick. Their new three-year contract which
ended a week-long strike pays $14.36 an hour.
Telecom . production workers will be earning
$11.14 to $12.42 an hour - but that's here in
Canada, not oil -rich Alberta.
And what about the incarceration leave clause
in the Telecofn contract? It insures that an
employee who violates the Highway Traffic Act
and receives a jail term of up to 30 days "won't
lose his job". Talk about protecting people from
themselves.
Some Canadians - not Albertons - are getting a
- kick out of the news that the demand is down for
oil from the Organization of Petroleum
Exporting Countries (OPEC).
It's down to levels lower than any since the
1960s, as a result of economic recession and the
unloading of oil company surplus stocks.
There's a world oil glut - not a briiht outlook
for Alberta's dream to hold the rest of Canada up
for ransom and demand world price. Demand
a way,' Alberta.
Speaking of oil as we were, 1 see Petro Canada
is buying a 49 per cent share of the Gulf Canada
Products Co. refinery at Port Moody, British
Columbia for $95 million. That makes each one of
us a bit of an oil barren doesn't it? Nice to know
when you're fighting to keep your head above
water.
But there does seem to be some sanity sur-
facing here and there. Reports are some workers
have agreed to make concessions as the price for
economic survival.
Some major companies have already reduced
salaries and benefits to employees. Some have
instituted wage freezes. In most cases of course,
it is non=union- workers who ..are setting the
example. .
The Montreal-based National Bank, which
reported a net loss of $28.1 million for its fiscal
quarter ending January 31, 1982, trimmed
salaries for 390 head office managers and will
eliminate 200 of 1,800 head office jobs.
Dow Chemical, which repotted a 30 per cent
drop in world-wide profits in 1981, has deferred
annual merit increases for its 3,000 non-union.,,,
salaried Canadian workers. (But Dow's 1,000
unionized workers will get a 12 percent increase
because it's in their contract.
MacMillan Bloedel, the British Columbia
forest -products giant, reduced the salaries of
5,500 non-union workers between 10 and 15
percent on March 1 - and lengthened their work
day by 30 minutes.
It seems to be catching on. After all, pay cuts
are better than no job at all.
That's the way unio'h workers in the United
States see it too - but here in Canada, the
majority of unionized employees are resisting
the idea of accepting a share of the horrendous
loses facing the nation's business community.
Seems Canada's unionized workers - and some
others I suppose - are just too dull to understand
how bad things really are becoming, and the part
their unreasonable, selfish greed is playing in
Canada's looming demise.
It's not unusual for a company to pay out 50, 60,
70 percent of its total earnings in salaries and
fringe benefits to workers who are consistently
less efficient. In the case of some government
services (teachers, health care workers etc.) it's
more like 80-85 percent of the total budget for
workers. .
The people of this country definitely do have
the power to help put thins right sooner than
mogt economists ace nota'predicting,
But will they volunteer? Will they tighten their
belts and dig in for the good of the nation? What
do you think? Would -you?