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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1985-12-23, Page 26Page 6A—Crossroads--Dec. 23, 1985 Mai nstreain -Canada P VAT would tax Canadian tolerance By Tony Carlson On the list of inevitable hardships wer face, death and taxes claim ,top rank. But there is a difference. While we can rage, refus- ing to go gentle into that good night, there really isn't much we can do to fight our mor - tali ty . On the other hand, while we must pay taxes, we can make a difference when our elected leaders across the thin line that separates legitimate revenue raising from a tax grab. Twice in recent history, politicians have learned that the Canadian taxpayer, pri- vate citizen and business person alike, has teeth. And while the man or woman in the street is slow to anger, once moved to action, he or she will not be swayed by political manoeuvering or bureaucratic obfuscation. Former federal Finance Minister Edgar Benson was the first to feel the wrath when his 1969 White Paper on Tax Reform disintegrated against the brick wall of combined business and con- sumer opposition. Allan MacEachen, who also lists former finance minister in his resume, tried it again in 1981, but his ill- conceived budget was lost in the storm of protest that cut across all''the divisions in our society. Ottawa did an abrupt about-face on Mac- Eachen's tax proposals and on the minister himself. Such is the power of the public when it joins forces against schemes hatched in isolation from the realities that face the working men and women of this country. Such is .the threat which hangs over the government today as it considers intro- ducing a value-added tax (VAT),, a levy which taxes the value added "to any pro- duct or service at every level of production: Those Finance Depart- ment bureaucrats who are pushing the VAT sdy it's needed to replace an admit-' tedty flawed federal sales ' tax. But can we honestly be- lieve that's their motive when. a VAT will, raise $2.5 billion for each percentage point. imposed. That's a pretty big turkey to put down in front of a government hungry to finance it deficit. Ofcourse, to administer this money machine, which will affect more than a mil- lion tax filers — including,.. for the first time, profession- als, service companies and the like —.will require an- other massive expansion of the civil service to oversee the paperwork headaches in- flicted on business especially small firms. Add to this the inevitable system of exemptions and various provincial and fed- eral rates and you'll wish you had stock in acetylsali- cylic acid. As well, a VAT cannot help but raise prices which, along with the fact that it's a hid- den tax, means it's riot likely to win any friends among the masses of cost-conscious consumers. All of this has been made abundantly clear to Ottawa. John Bulloch, president of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business and a veteran of the two most re- cent tax protests, has told Finance Minister Michael Wilson in a face-to-face meeting that even a discus- sion paper on VAT in the budget would again" unite consumers and small busi- ness in a tax revolt of Ben- sonian proportions. Wilson is non -committal on VAT, saying he prefers to keep his options open. But the minister, known as a man who doOs his home- work, could do worse than brush up on recent history as he considers the VAT alter- native. Infant Nutrition b Check fordefective chimney 4.10.The chimney is one area in a fuel -burning heating sys- ,,tem.that may become defec- tive, say experts with the Ontario Ministry of Consum- er and Commercial Rela- tions (MCCR). A malfunctioning chimney can cause products of com- bustion to back up into your 4 home. If not corrected this can form carbon monoxide which could poison occu- pants. Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include nausea, headaches and dizzi- ness. "In large doses it can kill you," says Bob Clendining, director of the .Ministry's Fuels Safety Branch. "We have investigated incidents where this has happened. All chimneys should be care- -7 -A blocked chimney can cause poisonous gases to back up, into your home, posing a serious health hazard. Fuel safety experts advise you to have home heating systems cleaned and inspected regularly. fully inspected and cleaned at least once a year." Start the inspection by checking inside the clean-out door at the base of the chim- ney. Any debris should be re- moved. The presence of bits ,,,,f brick or mortar may indir ea.te the interior chimney walls are crumbling. Look for further signs of deterioration by holding a mirror inside the clean-out door. This should give you a good view off the inside walls of the chimney. However, if the chimney has an offset, you won't be able to see the walls and an expert will have to be called to conduct the in- spection. White powder or moisture stains anywhere on the chimney walls can also warn of problems. A registered home heating contractor should be called immediately if any signs of deterioration are detected. Installation of a metal chim- ney liner may be necessary to halt further deterioration which may eventually led to blockage. Iff the chimney is physical ly blocked, do not use the heating system until an ex- pert has fixed the problem. Normal deposits of soot or ash on chimney walls can be removed with a special metal brush. Guidelines for Microwaving Baby Food Bringing up baby in these moderntimes means that you can take advantage of plenty of shortcuts. For today's busy parents, that's a real ne- cessity. When there never • seems to be enough hours in the day to fit in all you need to do, household time-savers are a top priority. Disposable diapers, for instance, now eliminate a lot ,,of laundry (and with self - tapes, diaper -changing takes only a few seconds!). Commercially prepared nutritious baby foods are popular with today's busy parents and are a great asset for moms who work outside the home. Their conven- ience allows you more time to spend with your baby; time for cuddling and playing is important to help him as he goes about his daily business of learning. With the advent of the mi- crowave oven, feeding baby has become easier still. Did you know that you can use your. microwave to heat up not just your food, but the ba- by's too? Warming baby's food in the microwave is indeed safe but you must remember to treat the microwave oven as you would any appliance. Before you use it for the first time to warm your baby's food, take a quiet moment and read the user's manual. Follow the instructions ex- actly. Manufacturers of mi- crowave ovens have different power levels and features. You'll need to experiment a little to know what timing and setting works best for you. If you can use your oven, here are a few tips to help you use it. Stir, Then Test. The number one rule in us- ing the microwave is to al- ways remember to stir, then test.any baby food or milk before you give it to your in- fant. The reason is that the inner contents of the food ab- sorb more heat from the mi- crowaves than those on the surface and stirring will dis- tribute the heat evenly. And remember, the container can be cool to the touch, but the food can be very hot indeed. Keep in mind that you only want to warm the food, not heat it. To 'avoid burning ba- by's mouth or tongue, al-' ways test a few drops of the milk on your wrist, or sam- ple a spoonful of food to make surz it's warm, not hot. Make it a rule not to allow babysitters or even family members who are not used to microwave cooking to use the microwave to heat baby's food. If the babysitter has warmed a full bowl of baby Palmerston 343-2201 Jesse, son of Jane and Kandy Arkell, Kitchener, Ontario food, then goes to reheat its after baby has hadseveral spoonfuls, she may not know that a partial bowl of baby food takes less time to heat than a Tull one and may use the same time setting for each. The lesser amount of food will .be far too hot as a result and, if not tested prop- erly, can burn the baby's mouth Heating Solids Baby foods that contain a large amount of meat such as Strained and Junior meats and meat dinners should not be microwaved in their jar. The droplets of water in the products heat faster by mi- crowaves than the protein and fat particles and the water produces pockets of steam. This could lead to a hot spat- ter or cause scalding and you may run the risk of having the jar break. When heatingaby food, it's best to takc•<the portion you need from, the jar and transfer it to a shallow micro- wave -safe bowl. (This way, if baby, isn't going to eat the en- tire contents of the jar, you will not have to heat the food dwice). Heat on a low to me- ium setting for less than 45 seconds. If you are not heat- ing the entire contents of the jar, shorten the time accord- ingly — the contents of half a jar may only take 25 to 30p seconds, Tor insfance. Again, remember the foods just have to be warmed. Always stir and tastebefore serving to baby. Test the food you are heat- ing in the microwave fre- quentlyuntil it reaches the right feding temperature: Different foods take different times. Heating Formula To heat a re -usable baby bottle, remove the cap and nipple. Heat at a medium set- ting until lukewarm. Let it stand for a minute or two, then shake the bottle to en - _sure -the -contents -.are at_an--J even temperature. Test it on your wrist before using. If using disposable bottles you should check the disposable bottle manufacturer's direc- tions .hefore .heatin -in-the--- microwave as some do not recommend microwave , heating. The size of the bottle, the initial temperature of the for- mula, and variability among' microwave ovens all influ- ence the length of heating time you'll need. Properly heated, the nutritional uual- Poorly maintained furn- aces and other fuel -burning appliances can also generate carbon monoxide, "If in doubt about the con- dition of any heating appli- ances, have it inspected by an expert before you turn it on for the season," says Clendining. "And, while you're preparing for winter, be sure you store all fuel - burning summer equipment safely." Never bring fuels of any kind indoors, Clendining ad- vises. Propane barbecue tanks, gasoline containers, lawn mowers and any fuel -power- ed recreational vehicles must be stored outside the house, away from all sources of ignition. If stored in a garage, ensure that the fuel containers and tanks are drained of fuel. "And if you plan to visit a winter chalet equipped with a propane -powered refriger- ator, be certain the refriger- ator has been properly cleaned and inspected before .you start it up," Clendining says. "In the past 10 years, about 40 people have been killed in Ontario when pro- pane refrigerators malfunc- tioned and produced carbon monoxide." s s ity of the formula will not be affected by microwaving. 1 Don't overheat baby's food or the formula in the bottle, because this can.. cause some vitamin loss. e Once you acquire the t knack, and keep these cau- s tions in mind, you'll like the g added convenience the mi- crowave can offer you and' your baby. Along with, -the convenience and wide vari- ety. of nutritious commer- cially prepared baby foods, it will give you even more time to enjoy your child. After all, 'that's what these modern conveniences are all about. - MICHAEL J. FOX AND DAVID FOSTER STAR IN SPECIAL Michael J. Fox and Jack - on Davies will co -host a pectacular New Year's Eve Special on CBC Television Tuesday, December 31 at 1:30 p.m. Telecast live from Canada Place near Vancouver's xciting new Expo '86 site, he one-hour comedy variety how will feature special uest Grammy and Juno Award-winning producer nd songwriter David Foster. Michael J. Fox, star of NBC's popular„sitcom Fam- ily Ties and the current hit movie Back To The Future nd Jackson Davies, of BC's highly -rated family eriee The Beachcombers, ill be joined by such per- ormers as pianist Jon imura Parker and Fraser MacPherson and his 17 -piece azz orchestra. a C s w f Automatic stamp vendors , K first went into operation in 1874. 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