Friday, June 12, 1992 — North Shore News - 9

The GST - confused and bone lazy

June 2, 1992

Mr. Otto Jelinek, MP
Minister of Natioasd Reve-
nue

HAVING SPENT over a year zry-
ing, without success, to get your
Goods and Services Tax depart-
ment to respond to business let-
ters, the time has come for me to
ask that you intervene.

Also, you might as well know
the things that are being done out
herein your name...

First, though, let me make this
point. I have been paying Income
tax every year for half a century
and, for all the complaints and
jokes we may make abow that
department, it is in truth
remarkably fair and efficient.

When I have had questions,
they were answered, promptly.
More than once, they corrected
my income tax forms in my favor
and sent rebates I never expecied.

I say this so that you and I will
waste no time with the old bu-
reaucratic excuses such as, ““We’re
so large a departmen: we can’t
possibly be accurate’’ and, thaz
other popular one, ‘In a burean-
ctacy, anything thai can go wrong
will go wrong.”” If the Income tax
can function, so can the GST
department.

At this late date, the Goods and
Services Tax should be up and
running. I am. Except for the
March 31, 1991 retam, which |
miaiied late for reasons i
here, I have paid my tax in fall
and on time at every quarter it
became due.

That record is far better than
yours. You owed me rebates for
two full quarters —- a half a year,
never paid, never apologized for
not paying and never revealed the
late-payment penalties you meur-
red.

In fact, for over a year, your
department has resolutely refused
to acknowledge receipt of moncy
sent or to answer any letters.

The truth is, Mr. Jetinek, they
have lost my files, are too asham-
ed to admit it and too bone Iezy
to look for them.

It is hard to believe that i am
dealing with grownups.

QUEENSBURY MARKET
10% COUPON

|
5
rs
1
1
H
i

Lobes

oo Gree i950
ATR CARPETS

1571 Pemberton Ave., Nan.

Paul
St. Pierre

In a letter that accompanied my
last tax return of 1991, I told GST

in short, clear words, that | would —

give them another half year to get
their act together. I said if they’d
fost the files they should admit it.
It is now June. They never
replied. My patience has run out.
This silliness has got to stop,
and unless you are completely
captive to your bureaucracy, yours
is the office that can provide the
encouragement these people need
to earn their salaries. .
I urge you to do so before we
end up in the courts where I think
some juder is likely to speak
unkindly about you.
Both you and your personal

" staff are busy men and do not

have time to read the five quarter-
ly reports | have so far made, al-
though you are, of course, wel-
come to my fat and detailed files
for the asking.

number and other details in an,
appendix to this ettcr.

i'm a smal] operator. I had dif-
ficulty understanding the forms
and wrote fos help.

On June 6, 1991, I received a
courteous, sensible and rational
letter of instructions from a Mr.

is Saito.

if that man has not yet quit you
in disgust and gone over to privaic
industry, grab him and promote
him. He is your last, best hope for

Hours:
Mon-Sok. Sam-7pm

ENorih Vancouver, 986-2773 “area” 5 |

er se zs ra

PRICE!

aporox, 35 x SS

Persian Namanatan $2415
Pein immatn $399

aoa 46x55

984-7887 |

fo MA

PAULITICS & PERSPECTIVES

|
:

bringing order out of the chaos
you have created.

Following his instruction, I filed
my March 31, 1991 return and my
June 30, 1991 return together. At
thaz time I owed money and paid
it.

By Sept. 30, 1991, owing to
heavy expenses on the farm, my
return showed you owing me
money.

At the Dec. 31, 1991 return,
your debt had lessened, but you
were still in arrears.

By March 31, 1992, your debt
to me had been erased, | owed
money to you. Again, I paid in
full, calculating the penalty you
owed for six months late payment
as best I could.

By this time GST had invented
a figure from God knows where
about my indebtedness and, with
never a word of explanation,
began issuing bills and threats.

Occasionally, when I had time
on my hands, I used to telephone
GST for an hour or so and a
couple of times got past the busy

signal.

464 At this late date, the Goods and
Services Tax should be up and
running. I am.99

The truth then came out. I had
no files. They had been sucked in-
to a black hole. It would be all
fixed within 24 hours.

What a joke.

GST tries to phone me now to
threaten me for not filing returns
or whatever is in their confused
heads, but I explain that | have no
recording devices on my phone
and that they rnust write or FAX
me. That they will never do,
unless vou make them.

Do not, please, have an execu-
tive assistant send me the form

The best kept secret
on the North Shore!

letter for halfwit constituents, ex-
plaining how we live in the best of
all possible worlds.

I used to be an MP. I have no
time or patience for that sh**.

Just force your employees
{unless they have ail slipped the
leash) to answer business mail in a
businesslike manner.

Also please provide me a name
and title in that department so
that somebody can answer if they
try harassing me for going over
their heads to their minister. -

Insulting letter to follow.

You’re invited to tour our newly
renovated athletic facility. We
have one cf the most well
equipped full service
health clubs on the
North Shore. (Limited
memberships sitll
available at the
old initiation
vate.)

7 Tennis
Courts
4 indoor, 3
outdoor }

6 Squash Courts
7 Racquetball Courts
Fitness Club
Aerobics,
Stairmaster, Windracer
Powercise, “ree Weights
Home of 1992 BC.
Racquetball Open

é ice Rink
Huge heated outdoor pool 40’x30’
Large sundeck with outdoor Bar-B-Que
Fitness Evaluation, Body Fat Analysis,
Strength/Conditioning, Weight Control
Programs

Join us for all the Fun!

2035 Fullerton Avenue, North Vancouver

987-1100