Loading...
The Goderich Signal-Star, 1977-04-28, Page 5dave sykes GODER ICH SIGNAL -STAR, THURSDAY, APRIL 'IS, 1977.—PAd It happens every year, Just as sure as a young man's fancy turns to thoughts of love in the spring, my energies, like those of a million or so other Canadians, are directed towards the annual income tax follies. Each year I approach the tax forms and guides with renewed hope and en- thusiasm that usually ends up in a complete debacle by the time I have attempted to calculate my net income. It's not really that difficult to complete the income tax form and I have always done my own return, but as soon as I tackle the prpject my mathematical abilities desert me. It just adds to die torment, as those abilities are barely above acceptable levels anyway. After reading through.j.he guide twice, while humming. the commercial theme song, 'Follow Me', it all seems so simple. With the- mathematical standards in schools today', any student in grade five could fill out my return. But not me, don't regard the procedure as a chore since I have never had to,contribute to -the -government coffers through my return. But .after completing the rough copy once and arriving at a refund of • $350 I am overcome by a compulsion to recheck my figures. That's my problem. I should play m'Y first huntih and send in the original set of figures, After all, some of my tax dollars are Used to support government people with four math degrt.es. who are paid to check my return. I can screw up•my return all by myself Lind these guys need computers and Calculators to do it. It never fails. I always find an error in my calculation and have to stroke out all the original figures and insert new ones. Then there is elways the deduction or other income that I neglected to mention and the rough copy is reworked again. scratching out figures, inserting new oneseIt's frustrating. By the time I am convinced. that everything is correct my rough working copy looke. like u university math exam. Figure if 1 send in My working copy each year the taxation department would just as soon send me a refund of my choice rather than try to unscramble that mess. I often takedelight in the thought that some poor accountant in the taxation' department, .after having to process my return a .couple of times, has willingly given up his comfotjable government salary and Izecome a recluse fisherman on ,lames Bay, But most of the fun begins after my return is safely in the hands of the taxation department, Anxiously awaiting my refund, theTrutial contact is usually in the form of letter from the depu rt ment "Dear Mr. Sykes.- Bureaucrats are so formal. After all the corresponding we 'go through w e could at leest he on friendly terms, Or u first Ilan1C has's. "Naturally we] enjoyed e:xamining your return, as usual, and thought perhaps you might be interested in our version." Their version is much more in- teresting and usually results in a larger refund than anticipated. 1 am now seriously considering retaining the tax departmenttetterjob. But as my accountants. They do a But since their ligures don't jive with mine, they send some sort of form ex- plaining the changes with a little catch that I have been credited with $1.49 interest that should be claimed as in- come on next year's return, By the time next year rolls around I have misplaced the form. More problems. I honestly expect that the House of Commons will pass legislation granting me a subsidy to have someone else fill 4 uut my return each year. It would likely solve a lot of problems in the tax department and our national treasury. Oh well, my return by now is safely in their hands I expect a letter any day now. HE WEEK AFTER en fdidymis. )1e of my that ncler th nd true, ieration have ave chil y norm! uncle yoursell! ledge r appe erlude it m :linical more dthe itfune lore s, use that a would e inc , A 4 the govt.rnment taketh away. the ent has the right to giveth r vice versa, io's no. Health Minister Dennis 11.1ast -week reversed the order to )(ears Hospital Toronto and t Clinton, Cfiesley and Durham Id remain open for the time, pending heti studies, Former Nlinister h'ir.ank Miller ordered hospitals closed February 1976 hospieds were re -opened under ler which is now being appealed 4.. presen nty B as eve any .nIth •huma with of tinued ()ugh to /make a man give up and walk to work every day. are no;k11-being priced out of the Ontario Government makes e attempts to balance t4eir .e'r the next tbree years. o Treasurer, Darcy McKeough, a $13.7 billion dollar budget last tting Onterio consumers with axes on tobacco, canned soft nd higher fees for car licence he price hikes were part of a 0 alleviate unemployment in ovince through provincially - INFORMATION, BACKGROUND AND. OPINION HERE IN HURC:IN hy the Ministry, Timbrell said that appeals of court rulings which enabled the four hospitals to remainopen, will be pressed by the government who will pursue the case to determine whether' or not the province has the right to close hospitals. Following the estahlisihment of a Huron -Perth district health council the fate of the 60 -bed Clinton Hospital may hinge on that Council's bed steely. The study is expected. to he on top ot the priority list following the formation of a district council. Clinton .Hospital Administrator Doug Coventry although enthusiastic about the hospital's chances to remain open now, also stated that the hospital would not likely retain some of its services, The eight hospitals affected in the Huron -Perth distri,ct council have already held meetings about cen- tralization of beds and services and Coventry anticipated that the usefulness of certain services in Clinton oti Id hi, quty,,t ioned. i IIer Qlosvd (ilioton Hospital with a visit to the hospital of that community in February 19 0. A move that was naturally mut with strong opposition not only from the 90 t"niployees but also from a largo. representat ion of' the town, Clinton reeeived a reprieve 0 few months litter Mien the Divisional Court' of ()murk), ruled that the goVernm'ent will present its appeal." to the decision to the Supreme Court on May' 2, Clinton Public Hospital hoord ehilirt11.0 Beecher NI e00/1...s, It i riled that the enthusiastic .tiepert shoe., e by th‘. eom mimes- against the elosing,pf the hospital in 10 .11 \vas a significant factor. in the gm:ortirnont's isioti reyers.e the order. Health -Nlirtisti.r Tirohrell said that he has not ordorpi any clilsings for thtfour ministry's legal position to ,order the• closure of facilities, it cannot finance., Since 'the first closure order in Februery and, then following the reprievki...the Clinton Hospital has had to adjust its expenditures and ,will likely have to1keep a close eye on .-spending in the futore, hospitals in. questian. Realer. (,x, Mr. Timbrell-e who made the an- plained that. thegernmwit nouncements in the legislature Tuesday. . oV\+, aSo Said that the ministry will conduct a Wrested in .pursuing the court case on s in l the closure of hospitals too determine the bed studies in Huron and Perth counties. PROVINCIAL Pcorknws funded job creation.programs. McKeough announced that a total of 1'8,350 jobs will be created in the province to help dent the 286,000 unemployment figure.. In his budget statement, McKeough promised 3,356 jobs in the construction industry and an additional 25,0.00 jobs for young people seeking summer employment. He. estimated that it will cost $75 million to stimulate the stagnating construction industry and the expanded summer job program would cost an additional $10 million. itrol ist nPa Cana nCe of I you'd hot affe Led th I rinsio res dle11 talks 11)1 nuedell idely accepted that a womanbas eative to change her mind. But rogative takes on new dimen- n it is exercisedby a politician. anadian Liberal Party scored a oup as Conservalive MP for t Alberta, Jack Horner ditched cal allies in the Conservative d joined the Liberals. Horner, been elected by his Crowfoot ents seven times since 1958; will risible to Prime Minister Pierre • a man he once referred to as a RO E. 5 Ott" if , [trick ast; prit 41 a cozy fireside chat Monday nited States President Jimmy ot from the hip Wednesday as ered an energy message in a Speech before a joint session of ent Carter delivered the speech tremely solemn manner em - the most disagreeable aspects prehensive look at the energy energy policy covered g from oil and natural gas nd nuclear power to coal,bome The Government hopes to hold its spending increase to nine per cent over last year and that would still mean over SI billion deficit ih the budget. The minority government is working to balance the, budget by 1980, for the first time in 11 years. Last week Ontario's smokers started paying 5 cents more for a, pack of 20 cigarettes and motorists/Will help to share the burden by paying between to $40 more for their Ontario licence plates next year, Both the New Democratic and Liberal parties criticized the budget, especially in its attempt to alleviate the unem- ployment problem. However, Liberal leader Stuert Smith, said the budget was 00 reusonable economic' document and Liberal support of the budget would carry the minority government through the debotte The :.1,15 million package _will create jobs in road building, sewer and water treatment plants, , Health ministry buildings and insulation of government haildings The project is' expected to employ 3,350, 'I'he second SID million package will pro' -'id,' employers with a CANADA IN SEVEN dictator, He has since tamed his view the PM to being of "strong personality", Immediately following the defection, Trudeau admitted Horner to his cabinet as a Minister without portfolio. While Conservatives still sat amazed and questioned the sanity of the move sorne Liberals also viewed the move con- temptuously. Liberals suspected that Horner would still retain some right wing attitudes from his former party and Government House Leader Allen MacEachen told a CaUCUS meeting ,that WO Ile -party would just have to live with the decision. Former Conservative Prime' Minister John Diefenbaker spoke on heha If of party colleagues and told thcHouse that Hornet"s defection was "analogous oi the sheriff joining the cattle rustlers". Diefenbaker added that although Trudeati did not give a damn for Western Cemida he had hopes that Horner could change that situation and he of servit. to his country, . Conservative leader Joe Clark t(n)ped to toss the nlatter off lightly clainling he iiiwv hod one less probletri It appears that the probletn arose \viten Clark kvould not guarantee Horner that a friIIw Conser‘'ill lye. 'Arnold Malone, was not going to contest his Crow. foot ritiMg. After redistribution, Criavfoot Mcluded much of 'Malone's territory which had then .set up a nomination battle for thi. riding, Horner said that he could hiox cosily hoen persitailod to tistllitin ‘vitil the Conserva Party but instead of LDWEEK insulatton prow -0 ms and transportation pools that included government em- ployees-. The major concern of the car oriented societyls Carter's prdposed tax on gasoline and gasoline guzzling cars, The tax on such automobiles will start at $449 on 1978 cars delivering less than 13 miles per gallon and that tex would increase to a maxirnum of $2,488 by 1985 feit cars delivering less than 12.5 miles per gallon. High efficiency cars would benefit from rebai.a as high as $473 for a 39 mile per piton Car in 1978, If a voluntary gas roncumntion program is not observed then a standby gasoline tax of five cents per gallon will be imposed. The tax would climb by five cents per year to a maximum of 50 cents. There will be taxes on oil to raise its price to the world market level and at the same time ceilings will he placed on natural gas to level that price off. on a par with the domestic crude oil, Carter said that the oil taxes would be returned to the American people through their ineome tax 'payments and some would he repaid directly to people heating with oil. On radio Monday evening (0001(1' estimated that I he American people wasted mot'e energy than the country imported for use. He suggested that stringent ('OflS('I'\oiliOfl measures could reduce the oil and related product s import s.dra st ieally. If the energy progra m IS implt. ment effect i ve I y (ho could save 4 0 million barrels of oil per day over the amount , that would be required hy the country in r983 That would then reduce the oil proximately million barrels a day in imports hy 40 peroent to ap per hour grunt tow.ards the wages of 1000 students for lit weeks thirMg the summer. The giw ernmont e.xpeets to realize frorn newv f'10I• t"0121strOtil)11' fees... Licence plates for eight cylinder cars rosa..s..1a to silo, the six cylinder fee is $45 instead rd and tho hair cylinder feo jtmlped - argil- carswhose t'ngine sizit exceeds l.0 cubic inches, will he assessed a special le \ NteEeough's hodget was IihotIod an election butigoi long heron. it ttas presented to tho people anti intilysts still Iseag rnie es tee. arils thot gool, Clark hitughtel lo tit.itier oft' Herne/. lii)Proachetf h he I iherals to October arid tht, olit‘ toIlt in Mori 0 atter 0 dionet nicc-ting \‘ith TCY, The PrinVeNi 111 nanii ieed ciark 1,1 los naeeting And 1110 slf).1?„ l% .1, 11.Is'Wil off e.1 -1,thrtc itril rlat 0gaiti al, t.iing 1‘1111 I F1-0 l'rftllt, Ar•I'll 1 lil 04'.1111 In' To.,,i)()11,,e 11'0111 Cr,ti-k ilid jilt 1,, '11( 1,111',Igv 1 0, em f`x ILI\ 4' ,I 11101( l',11111" eftrut no the • enfl,'ll 01 ri, first yoor hy creating li010,000 pihs ond in( reasing the gress 0011410,41 product Collet larrood that through Ow oijroriohoii rchate system the efficiencv. and total car production arid Safi'', k11(1 III( ‘,5 'thin the next ,five years C.inada may share in the small0 001)10)111(1HW bc)0s1 Ihr011gh the iiiitomohile trade port with the lThited state,, All thc m1Inc•i),Iid in 1)1),110-, for fuel erononi,„ (.10, is expi ted to he •••. vievit in that light. Despite the fact that *There are rap concessions for the tax- payer: no home buyer grants, no tax rebates, simply no goodies for the voters, it is masquerading es an election hudget. The *Ago really doesn't present any long term solutions for unemployment and all the measures provide short term jobs. But. it jest looks solid, during our time of austerity, that McKeough should extol government restraint, responsible budget management and a buck against inflation. He may just get away w i'th it. Clork's reaction- prompted Horner to ow* ho was expendible to the party. hough it made Horner very sad When Clark showed no visible signs of regret it also made his decision much easier, Horner said he wants to be a part of Trudea ifs rededication to working for a reunification of Canada. Ht. admitted that "Frudeau's policy has not 'changed hut rather Horner's perception of that policy has changed. generated from larger less efficient car sales Naturally exports to the United States will suffer with the rebate program. The gas tax will work on total consumption for the year, If gasoline consumption in the U S. in 1978 egccedS a target by (Inc percent then the five cents .1 gallon tax is implemented for that year and each successive year that con- sumption exceeds targets Canadian Energy Minister Alastair Gillespie said that Carter has done Canadians a lot of good in the past few - „days and he was grateful.