6 - Sunday, December 3, 1989 - North Shore News Why be simple when it pays to be complicated? cluding food. Others would lower the rate by eliminating the propos- ed $3 billion in tax credits for lower income citizens. Consumers and businesses alike worry chat inflation — which Michael Wilson himsel! concedes DIVIDE AND conquer is the world’s oldest battle tactic and so-called democratic governments at all levels quickly master it — which is why so many survive far longer than they deserve to. It's done by exploiting to the full the natural genius of their bu- repeats her forum on day care in the $990s at 7:30 p.m. in North Van Rec Centre’s Capilano Room rAILPIECES: Congrats to Westin Bayshore shuttle bus driver Jack Titerle of North Van, presented ‘‘whose ox is gored.”' So the total 80 per cent opposition — instead reaucrats for making simple issues complicated. This enables them to thoroughly confuse opponents among the gen- eral public, play off one special in- terest group against another and reject obvious solutions by claim- ing the peasants are too ignorant to understand ‘‘complex’’ prob- lems. Bewildered and divided, the of being concentrated — is split in- to a wide variety of often unrelated “mini-campaigns.’’ Just as Ottawa hoped! Surprisingly, most groups ap- pear to accept the inevitability of SOME new tax but are fighting tooth and nail against the impact of GST. Consumers nrotest that they are will jump to at least 7.5 per cent — will push up interest rates and unemployment. Provincial gov- ernments predict that it will force increases in their own taxes. Parents how! over paying mcre for kids’ clothing, school books and even diapers. Young families (and realtors!) cringe at the threat of an extra five per cent on the with the Vancouver Hospitality Awerd by Vancouver Deputy Mayor Jonathan Baker for his kindness to a disabled Ontario visitor. Jack changed his route to take the visitor on a city tour . The *‘Recycling”’ symposium _ tomorrow, Dec. 4, at 7:30 p.m. in North Van’s Braemar Schoo!, ... Red-circle Wednesday, Dec. 6, for breakfast at 7:15 a.m. with Reform Pasty leader Preston Manning in West Van's Ambleside Inn (tickets $15 via 925-2097) ... And at 7:30 p.m. relax at the Car- son Graham concert ‘A Winter's Night of Music” (tickets at the door $3). eae conducted by Andrea Miller, will practice what she preaches, No plastic foam — if you want coffee, bring your own cup! Food Bank dorations also welcome ... Tues- day, Dec. 5, Elen Woodsworth cost of a first home. Upper-income seniors are mobilizing against a “‘clawback”’ of their old age pen- sions. What's missing in all this is a tirm united front on one gut ques- tion: Is the GST necessary at all? The answer is ‘‘NO’’ — for two sound aid simple reasons. Firstly, the current $30.5 billion deficit could vanish in two years if the government siashed unneces- sary spending the way any individ- ual or company has to cut back when deep in the glue. Secondly, a prosperous future Canada calls for more than GST- type tinkering with our present ar- chaic tax system. The REAL need is radical surgery on the waole tax structure by introducing a single flat income tax — easy to grasp, cheap to administer, fair to everyone, virtually evasion-proof and already successful in Hong Kong and certain other forward- looking jurisdictions. But that, alas, is much too sim- ple for spendthrift governments that know smoke and mirrors are all they need to keep their hands deep in our pockets! being victimized while business gets off lightly. Big business most- ly seems to agree and fusses only about the fine print. Small businesses are horrified by the jungle of bookkeeping red tape. Many business circles want to eut the tax from nine per cent to six per cent or seven per cent by abotishing all exemptions — in- peasants finally retreat exhausted and government gets on with its agenda. A classic case is the Gouge & Screw Tax bill, vigorously con- . demned by over 80 per cent of Ca- . nadians in a recent poll. The snag . being that it’s condemned for all kinds of different reasons accord- ing, as Jack Webster would say, to WRIGHT OR WRONG: The best way to keep friendships alive and healthy is to bury your friends’ faults. . Photo ky Tom Butter . TUNEFUL TWOSOME Nicholas Waissbiuth of West Van (right) and Jacquie Moffatt of Delta, both 9, rehearse with the Suzuki Strings for their Dec. 15 lunchtime performance in the Pan Pacific for downtown office workers. Photo by Mits Nags CARING BUS DRIVER Jack Titerle (right) of North Van receives his 4 citation from Vancouver Deputy Mayor Jonathan Baker, Tender spot ‘Yorth Vanccuver City’s decision (to put the multi-material recycling program to open tender will anger more citizens than it will mollify. The city, aware of the outcry from the union repre- senting North Vancouver District workers over that municipality’s decision to pursue a recycling contract with International Paper Industries (IPI) without put- ting the project to tender, and heeding calls from private companies, now threatens to subvert the establishment of 2 coordinated North Shore recycling program by opting to submit its recycling contract to competitive bidding. Its decision will require the districts of North and West Vancouver, whe are already committed to negotiating a contract with IPI, to re-examine their own recycling plans. But perhaps its most serious impact will be the estimated one-year deiay it will cause in implementing a recycling program in the municipality. North and West Vancouver districts surely must Display Advertising 980-0511 Publisher __. Peter Speck : ‘ shoulder some blame for not putting their recycling ‘ t fing . . is Classified Advertising 986-6222 contracis to public tender, but rectifying that mistake managing canoe 7 Barer wright Newsicom 985:2131 . : * woe . Distribution 986-1337 at this point carries with it costs far greater than any Advertising Director Linda Stewart p 3 Subscriptions 986.1337 SURDAT PMEONERO ATT: EMTONY Fax 9953007 potential gain. North Shore News, founded in 1969 a5 att Independent Suburban newspaper and quahtied unde! Scnedule ttt, 1139 Lonsdale Avenue. The coordinated North Shore effort to come up with a multi-material recycling program should have been agreed upon from the outset. A single contract to establish a recycling program in all three municipalities should have been put to public tender. Patag’aph Ml of the Excise Tax Act, +s pubirshed eacn Weonesday, Friday anc Sunday ty Noth Shore Free Press Lid and distributed to avety door on tne Norn Shore Second Class Mad Registration Number 3885 Sudscnprons Noh and West Vancouver, $25 per year Mating rates avaitapte on request. Submissions are weicome Oul we cannot accep! responsibility for unsonciled matenal incivaing Manuscnp!s and pictures which shoutd be accompanied by 4 siamped, addressed envelope North Vancouver, B.C. V7M 2H4 59,170 (average, Wednesday Frida y & Sunday) a SDA DIVISION Entire contents © 1989 North Shore Free Press Lid. Ail rights reserved. MEMBER Nosth Shore owned and managed