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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Citizens News, 1970-09-10, Page 4PAGE FOUR ZURICH CITIZENS NEWS, A Welcome Report for Homeowners One of the most sensible government inspired reports we've read in a long time was the one turned in recently by Matthew Lawson to Municipal Affairs Minister Darcy McKeough. A former Toronto planning commissioner, Mr. Lawson was commissioned as a consultant to the Department of Municipal Affairs to study the problems of rural and urban property owners. After spending 15 months on the job, he came up with a number of recommendations which will be discussed with mun- icipal associations. The government gave no indicat- ion of its reaction to Mr. Lawson's report. We hope however that officials riot only approve the recom- mendations but give them top priority as far as im- plementation is concerned. The major point in Mr. Lawson's report was that homeowners should be exempted from increased property taxes arising from improvements to their property, at least for a time period. He suggested a moratorium on such tax increased for five years with the assessment on any single property held to a maximum of $5, 000. at any one time. This business of increasing property tax- because a homeowner has enough pride in his dwelling to give it a new coat of paint, or to add a den or perhaps a bathroom, has never made any sense to us. In an age when too many properties, especially those in our rural areas, are eyesores on the landscape, you'd think those making an effort to clean up a mess would be given some kind of bonus for their efforts instead of being penalized. Let's face it, this kind of tax increase has always hit those who can least afford it. People with money to spare are riot going to be deterred from improving their home because of an increase in their property tax. Those who have a hard time making ends meet however, are definitely discouraged when it comes to making a decision whether to take a holiday with their vacation pay, or to spend it on new siding for their home. As Mr. Lawson pointed out, property maintenance is an important aspect of environmental control, but "it is hard to encourage people to im- prove their property when they expect to be penaliz- ed for doing so." Mr. Lawson further recommended that riot only should homeowners not be penalized, but that the province should study whether it is possible to give owners and tenants who cannot afford to lay out a lot of money, loans with interest rates geared to income, to carry out such major improvements as reroofing and rewiring. It should be provincial policy, he said, to en- courage more orderly and stable improvements to developed areas. Other recommendations included: a province -wide system for the disposal of automobile hulks; home handyman courses for all school children (remember the old manual training courses?), and extension courses in repairs and renovations. The present practice may bring thousands into the property tax coffers; but it also discourages home- owners from making improvements and encourages them to lie about improvements they have made. What the government would lose in money by imple- menting Mr. Lawson's recommendations, it would more than make up in a better looking province and added respect for the tax assessors. (Listowel Banner) ZURICH Citizens NEWS PRINTED BY SOUTH HURON PUBLISHERS LIMITED, ZURICH HERB TURKHEIM, Publisher . Second Class Mail Registration Number 1385,+1'41®�+! Member: . �� : Canadian Woiekly Newspapers Association,1110. _ Ontario Weekly Newspapers Association ,►r+d`~ Subscription Rates: 4.00 per year in advance in Canada; SMO In. United States and Foreign; single copies 10 cents. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 1970 PARENTS OF THE WORLD, REJOICE! by Bi11 Smiley Going back to school could be a traumatic experience, but it isn't. It's sad to see the summer go, and all those things you were going to do not done. But there's a certain excitement as we step into September, surely the finest month of the year in this country. It is certainly not a sad occasion for mothers of young children. Most of them heave a sigh of relief, right down to their sandals, at the thought of school opening. Children are wonderful creatures. But, like booze, they should be taken in small doses. In summer, they are constant- ly wanting to eat, do something dangerous, or fight with their brothers and sisters. A young mother's nerves are tough, but can be stretched only so far. Even more grateful for our educational system are the par- ents of all those teenagers who didn't have a job this summer. Most of them, even those who complain bitterly about high education taxes, could kiss the minister of education on both cheeks. For, despite all the wonderful things to do in summer, there is nothing more bored than a teenager of either sex, just hanging around home. I can't blame them much. I get bored silly myself, just hanging around home. And ado- lescence makes it even more frustrating, because the body is full of beans, not meant for sitting in a lawnchair, reading a book. But the pattern goes some- thing like this. Sleep till noon or later. Get up after the lunch dishes are done and make a shambles of the kitchen prepar- ing a messy hamburger. Leave the mess for Mom. Demand why there isn't a clean shirt. Slouch to the streets or the park, or hitchhike to the beach. Sit around and rap with a gang of other bored teenagers. If dinner is at six, be sure to get home at either five or seven and demand to be fed immedi- ately. Then spend an hour in the bathroom, fancying up, and drift off to stay out half the night, muttering vaguely that you don't know where you're going or when you'll be home. This, of course, after "borrowing," in plaintive tones, a little some- thing from the old man. With exceptions, this is how it goes. It's demoralizing for all parties. And it's one reason even teenagers are glad to get back to school and their parents are -not glad, but ecstatic. Then there's the business of clothes for school. Little kids are sent off clean and shining, in FOCUS: One Moment of Time Our camera records a child's First Smile . . . makes an official report on the bride's radiance . . . Commemorates a trio posed for Dad's birthday surprise. Moments like these can never be recaptured unless they are per- fectly preserved by HADDEN'S STUDIO. Your family's pictorial history should be in qualified hands. Contact Hadden's Studio GODERICH 118 St. David St. S24-878, fairly conventional apparel. Big kids battle every inch of the way. Big boys aren't so bad, though even they are showing peacock tendencies. It's the big girls who cause the trouble. After a summer in shorts and jeans, sweatshirt and bare feet, they are exceeding loath to don dresses and skirts and shoes. So they do the next best thing — battle their mothers over every item of attire, and demand something exotic: a buckskin jacket, a prayer shawl, a micro or maxi skirt, a see-through blouse. However, once they're back at school, the kids enjoy it. For a while. They discuss their summer romances and immedi- ately begin new ones. They brag about the wild times they had. They positively swagger if they've hitchhiked to Van- couver. They swiftly assess new teachers and try to drive them up the wall. They groan with exaggerated dismay when they find out that Old So -and -So will be teaching them again this year. And how do the teachers feel? Most of them are glad to get back to work. They're broke, or they're sick of muddling around with their families, or they want to see what kind of rotten time -table they have this year, or they just plain love teaching. I know one who'll be glad to get back, for all the reRsons mentioned above. 0 PEARS Ontario Bartlett and Clapp pears will be available. Both var- ieties are yellow with a red blush. A Bartlett pear is bell-shaped, while the Clapp pear is large and symmetrical. Both are excellent for eating and canning. Letter to Editor The Editor: The Ontario Retail Sales Tax should be abolished. It is unfair, awkward to collect, and presses most severely on those who can least afford it. If Ontario imposes income tax, it should end sales tax. In 1968-69, sales tax produced about $485, 587, 552,53. Provinc- ial incorne tax collected by Ott- awa was $620, 475, 685.33. Ont- ario collected about $90. per head from income tax and $70. per head from sales tax. At 1969 rates, a married man with a wife and two children earning $90. weekly, paid about $62.40 per year in Provincial income tax, or about 1:,°/o of his income. Ile paid 510 sales tax on what he bought, subject to exemptions; a higher percentage in sales tax than. in income tax. The little man pays the same 5F/o as the million- aire and must spend a higher prop- ortion of his income just to surv- ive. Income tax is at least prog- ressive and ranges from nothing on incomes under $1,100. with higher percentages on higher in- comes. This is fairer than sales tax. Sales Tax is awkward to collect, Thousands of harrassed storekeep- ers are forced to be underpaid revenuers and collection costs run about 3ojo. Meanwhile, Federal machinery for collecting income tax exists. By simply increasing the Provincial income tax collect- ed, Ontario can raise the extra revenue needed at no extra col- lection cost. Quebec, Manitoba ans Saskatchewan now do this. Why not Ontario? Some provinces without big corporations and high incomes within their boundaries must rely on sales taxes on the little man, but not prosperous, industrial, (continued on page 10) Business and Professional Directory OPTOMETRISTS J. E. Longstaff OPTOMETRIST SEAFORTH MEDICAL CENTRE 527-1240 Tgesday, Thursday, Friday, Sat- urday a.m., Thursday evening CLINTON OFFICE 10 Issac Street 482-7010 Monday and 'Wednesday Call either office for appointment. Norman Martin OPTOMETRIST Office Hours: 9.12 A,M, — 1:30-6 P.M. Closed all day Wednesday Phone 235.2433 Exeter Robert F. Westlake Insurance "Specialising in General Insurance" Phone 236-4391 — Zuriah Guaranteed Trust Certificates 3, 4, 5 Years 81/2% 2 Years — 81/4% 1 Year . -p-- 8% J. W. HABERER ZURICH PHONY 236-4346 AUCTIONEERS ALVIN WALPER PROVINCIAL LICENSED AUCTIONEER For your sale, large or small, courteous and efficient service at all times. "Service That Satisfies" DIAL 237-3300 — DASHWOOD FUNERAL DIRECTORS WESTLAKE Funeral Home AMBULANCE and PORTABLE OXYGEN SERVICE. DIAL 236.4364 — ZURICH ACCOUNTANTS Roy N. Bentley PUBLIC ACCOUNTANT GODERICH P.O. Box 478 Dial 524-9521 INSURANCE For Safety , . . EVERY FARMER NEEDS Liability Insurance For Information About All Insurance — Call BERT KLOPP DIAL 236-4988 — ZURICH Representing CO.OPERATORS INSURANC! ASSOCIATION