"Page 6, June 14, 1978 - North Shore News _

payers -- as well as ‘for the a Sven which
their hard-earned tax dollars: maintain in the style. :
| governments have become accustomed to. And:
there are signs that strange new ‘things: may “be ©
starting to happen to the whole: relationship oe

between the taxers and. the taxed. Pome

The month opened with a
nasty shock for many home-

owners on the North Shore
and ‘throughout B.C. -- the.
arrival of 1978 property tax”
bills showing an increase —
amounting to.

sometimes
several hundred dollars over
those of Iast year.

Then, almost immediately, 7
came news of the California |
plebiscite calling for property.
taxes in the Sunshine State to .
be cut by more ‘than half.
Under the Californian con- .

stitution the state govern-

ment was bound to accept.

the result of the plebiscite, in

support of which a 75- year"

old citizen had collected one

anda half million signatures.

TAX REVOLT

At the polls a few. days’

later’ Proposition 13 (as the
tax reduction. demand was

called) was carried by a huge.
two-to-one majority. So the
is now:

state. government’
grappling with the problem
of slashing school,: police,

fire and other services -- and |

of laying off some 300,000
state and
employees.

Jubilant Californians have “

forecast the start-of a tax
revolt that will sweep the
United States. Back iiere in

B.C. Conservative leader Vic’
Stephens quickly jumped on °
to the bandwagon, advised:

B.C. homeowners not to pay

a cent more tax than last year .
(a course that would bring |
them stiff penalties) and _

offered to burn his own tax

bill in public-on the lawn of _

the Legislature.

Alarmed by these rumb-

lings of rebellion from far |
Bill

and near, Premier
Bennett promptly leapt into
the fray. He _ castigated
-Stephens for ‘‘irresponsi-

bility’’, then rounded on the :

naughty, ungrateful munici-
palities. - They had, he
declared, misled property
owners by blaming Victoria
for this year’s record tax
hikes, when the real villain,
he claimed, was city hall.

Nonsense, said the mayors
and councils, Taxes have
shot up because most house

values have suddenly shot ;

up, thanks to the “new
assessment equalization
program imposed last’ year
by Victoria. Also because
school taxes have taken
another big jump following a
cut, this year of all years, in
Victoria’s contribution to
already swollen school board
budgets.

WHY NOT HERE?

Meanwhile, readers’ let-
ters have begun to flow into
the newspapers asking why
we, too, can’t have California
Style tax ‘‘revolt’’, And
though the federal govern-
ment isn’t yet directly
involved, many Ottawa poli-
ticlians and mandarins are.
undoubtedly watching the
situation with some trepida-
tion. As columnist Paul St.
Pierre observed last week,
denying taxes to politicians is
like taking guns away from
soldiers.

_and’. fire -protection. |
‘argument, however,

"municipal ©

“Tax-slashing o ‘on. . the Cali-.
- fornia scale means -- so: the _
politicians hasten to tell US --.
that many- government: ser-

vices. we're. accustomed tO.

must be ‘cut to the bone or
eliminated” entirely, ‘includ-
ing .even: vital: services: like™
police -
This-
fell on.

garbage - collection,”

: ‘fact. that:

_ wages.

Most taxpayers accept the
key government

services cost money. Gar-.
-‘bage collectors, police and
- firemen. must be paid fair
Welfare. . recipients: |
must. be fed,;: clothed and.
‘ sheltered. Essential accom--
- modation for such services.

must. be provided, -and
essential = =~ equipment

purchased.

keene to buy this quality Scandinavian styled teak bedroom suite at»
7 such a low price. We still have. stock bought before a price in-

deaf ‘ears. Sin California . and.

‘there’ Sone sound ” reason: the teeth with the millions-of

“why. it may. fall .on’ equally-'*dollars of their money which
-, deaf e ears in B.C..and Canada -

if. ever é stage 4 a similar tax”

~ governments “squarider . on

“things | that bring: ‘the taxpay-
-ers themselves no. discern-
_: ible benefit. Handouts, for:
“instance, like $23,500 for a—
-. study on how to. demystify.

the dance; $28,000 for a

. pornographic poet; $170,000
for a study of the air-
breathing fish “of
“Amazon.”

the .

$25 million for a school in
Senegal; “$37. million for a
microwave system. in Zaire; -

$190. million to’ move civil
_ servants" from Ottawa toa
“massive new complex across.

the river in Hull, Quebec.

crease. wee »; Shop now and Save.

Open a WesternTeak
Charge Account today
30 days Interest free.

HOURS

10-5 Mon., Tues., Wed., Sat.

10-9 Thurs., Fri.
12-5 Sun.

But taxpayers are fedu up 5 to

' Service .

Commission ©
another $5_ million for the

- Public Service Staff Relations
Board -- both for the sole

purpose of recruiting ©
. bureaucrats and keeping
them. happy.

$158 million for Statistics
Canada. And $124,842,680 to.
teach . 8,042. civil servants
French or English (that’s
‘roughly $15,500 per gradu -
| ating pupil). |

with nite tables and large triple dresser,

complete.

WHILE THEY LAST

5498,

$168. .

6FOAM MATTRESS °1 19.

ALSO:

MATCHING HIGH DRESSER

ALL OTHER BEDROOM FURNITURE ©

RENUCED ALSO

ONE LOCATION ONLY 1470 PEMBERTON
NORTH VANCOUVER

a eocipal at provin ‘And ‘that
this is the root cause of. the |

$79: million for the. ‘Public
and»

taxpayer’s. conviction’ that.

he’s no. longer setting value -
for money.

He wonders, | in 1 fact, how

‘many: of his tax dollars are

: going to ‘pay. for. the actual
‘services. -

che needs and
desires - -- and how: many are

' going © merely: to feed a

bureaucratic monster which,
itself, ‘provides. only

: thousands of tons of useless

paper and thousands of yards
of ' deadening red: tape.

CONTINUED oN PAGE 8

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