| | hhave (or can borrow) up ‘to around: $3, {000 to: salt 7 —
away into an RRSP before March 1, -you:'can =
deduct the amount from your 1977 taxabie income, — ee

taxman's hands and adding a few more dollars to
- Meanwhile, what about the retirement pensions _

of the taxman himself and his political basses? ae

The: short ‘answer is ‘that -
they are in a great deal.
healthier. shape than «the
. future retirement pensions of:
Canada’s 10 million or so.
income-earning workers * in-
the private sector of the
economy, whose day-by-day
efforts keep the whole show
going. .

‘Government now spends .
around 40 per cent. of
everything that work force
produces. Since Prime Min-
ister Pierre Trudeau came to..
power 10 years ago, the .
country as a whole has-slid
into hock to the tune of nine
billion doiiars. We have a.
million unemployed and a 90 |
cent dollar. But at. least”
Ottawa can’t be accused of
failing to look after its: own
when the time comes to put .

politicians and onnl somants ‘

ew SD Or BO. es wh aR

out to pasture.

av ent

The lavish nension scheme :

provided _
governmeni ior federai civil .
servants <-
-- is already the envy of the —
rest of the working populace
and aiso a source of growing .
alarm _to those financial
Statisticians concerned with ~
‘tomorrow’s costs as well as
today’s.

KEEPS PACE |

The simple point here i is.
that civil servants’ pensions.
are not only generous as

directly to the cost of living.
If the cost of living goes up

two, five or even 10 per cent.

in a year, the _ retired

bureaucrat’s pension income ©

automatically keeps pace --

and you don’t need. more _

than one guess about . who
pays for that indexed. portion
of his pension through all the

years to come: tomorrow’s |

taxpayer, that’s who. ‘

Now, however, it appears

that the politicians have been |

looking after their own
Golden Years just as gener-
ously as those of their

‘“‘servants’’ -- according to
figures published by the
National Citizens’ Coalition,
an -eastern-based. organiza-
tion which has been spear-

heading the attack on the
civil service pension caper .

for the past several years.
The Coalition, as quoted

by Richard Osler in Financial

- Post, estimates that the
contributions made by poli-
ticians themselves to their
pensions (whichare also fully

indexed to the cost of living)’

is between eight and 24 per
cent of the total amount,
averaging out at about 15 per
cent.

The taxpayer picks up the
other 85 per cent of the bill.
And the size of the bill in
dollars isn’t exactly peanuts,
either.

+

8% CONTRIBUTION

For example, says the

Coalition let us assume that -

\

s

our true masters ~

_ taxpayer
such, but are also ‘‘indexed”’ ..

Prime Minister Trudeau 1 re-
tires at 65. with 19 years:
service (an assumption that.a .

' considerable. proportion - of
the electorate’ would: rather -
not think about). The accum-
ulated value of his pension, —
including a 60. per. cent.
’ survivor’s pension, would be
$1.2 million. es

of retirement. ‘Thanks to full.

Of this ‘amount Mr. ‘Tro.

deau | himself

Saar ve

contributed only eight | per

cent, ° Or: about - $100, 000 -

leaving more than $1. mil million
os

to. be. picked “up By. the.

taxpayers. And that’ s not all.
Margaret: 25 years young- .

‘gemains his wife and

‘could Bo quite a lot higher.
‘The Coalition worked out

“the cost of pensions for the
three federal party leaders
~ and just 10 o
_ cabinet ministers. The total

the present

--for these 13 individuals came
to $8.7 million -- of which the
would

around $7.4 million.

Nor do you need to belong

to the government brass to:

do very nicely during your

Golden Years. All M.Ps. (288 .
‘of them in the next House of.
Commons) qualify for .a.

pension — after Six years

New bus schedule :

New transit timetables
taking effect Feb. 17 will
combine eastern and western’
North Vancouver - schedules

into one convenient pocket-

sized booklet that will reflect

a number of improvements -

taking place on the North
Shore. .

The 240 Marine Drive, a8
of February 17, ‘will incor.
porate the 226 St. Patricks
‘route on alternate runs.

The 214 Berkley will run |

every 15 minutes from
Phibbs Exchange to Blue-
ridge in afternoon rush
hours. Previously, it ran
every half hour. Direct 214

PaRnapacnon

The Canaulan sapvornent for personal finens

Fitness. In your heart you know it’s right.

; cost-of-living increase

-deau’s- ‘annual: pension «on.
retirement at.65. would: be an
~ estimated ae 16, - rising to
“Golden :
__.deader Joe. Ciark (assumed to
- retire. at’ 30). would get. a ;
: Starting: pension of $34,900,

; ~ starting - pension (ranging

“likewise. approximately dou- —

‘would | shave |

| ‘jnundred bucks -- or even n the

ns two.e or three. thousa

bring nretty slim Dickings by

the ‘timie, Jour own: ‘Golden .
: eventually draws his surviv-.::
S pension, the fimal cost » 3

donate .

-ten years down the sunset

Berkley service from down-

are several minor schedule |

On that basis Mr.. Tru-

ee ee ee eee rr

$91,900". nis . first 10

“Onnosition

5 aie heeieat ecriivaral

Years.

increasing to $68,700 BY: the
time he was 60."

In all the other ‘cabinet-
“level -examples quoted ‘the

from... 313,360 - to 343,760).

bles during the first 10 years

_ indexing. Paid by you-know-
who. Pegs

By” comparison, the few.

ero
wv

“manage io: salt “away each
February in your RRSP will

ee

. Veare arri

fehirement

. day you'll, ex. shout ! 210 a

“month from a life‘insurance -
- company’s annuity in return

every $1 ,000- contributed.

Ten years later, if you’re
still around, it will still be $10
a month, just as in the case of
most. company pension
schemes. This leaves ‘you
with a problem that Ottawa’s
fully indexed pensioners
won’t ever have to worry
about, thanks to their pro-
tector, the taxman.

YOUR problem being that,

road, you'll find your $10.
buys you only $5 of dog food.

town Vancouver will leave at
4:02, 4:33 and 5:02 p-m.

An additional 211 Seymour
bus will leave downtown at
5:17 p.m. |

At Phibbs Exchange, there

| Available ‘til,

adjustments and passengers
should check their new

The. name GWG’ begins the

timetable for full mn _| Sat. Feb. 18. ti to their rugged’

. | reliability Tell the rest yourself

- your community neeet _ vol- | Heavy-weight. Polyester / Cotton:
unteers! Join them in help- |

ing the Heart Fund.

| Quantities Last
| The Test Of Good
| Varwe: Wear ‘Emi

Twill; machine-washable. Pock-. . |
‘ets: 2 front cargo; 2 front |
zippered; 2° back. Full zipper

front; Elastic back waist: insert. |
‘Canadian-made. Blue, Navy, -
Beige, Chest: 34 to 42. |

©

Man., ‘Twes:, Wed.» 0:90 am «8 pom
Thurs. & Feb. + #:200m apm
Saturday 0 om - + Opa

i Eapliano Mall

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