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. ' j
`WINTER
WARMER SALE
SAVE $i5O.°°
0t4 FIREPLACE INSERTS
WHILE SUPPLIES LAST
lmilk
tye'W�fk
22 Churclit St. W., Elmira, Ontario
669-1281
Mon.-Thurs. & Sat. 8:30 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Fri. 8:30 a.m. - 9 p.m.
1#
Friday, Dec. 27 till Tuesday, Dec. 31
% OFF ALL IN STOCK
CHRISTMAS TREES, EVERGREEN
WREATHS & GARLANDS
Main St. E., Listowel