‘Scere 2m

FORTH: VANCOUVER. City Coun.

Rod Clark’s proposal to fine delin-

went voters $50 is a hare-brained
scheme at best,

Clark. recently floated the motion before

: his city counterparts because of his frustra-
“3 tions. with. the. voter apathy. that. tradi-

_tionaliy accompanies municipal elections on:

the North Shore and elsewhere around the
““provinee.
North: Vancouver City has a particularly
poor record.:
The city’s mayor, for example, has been
in Gffice for seven terms, six of which he
-has taken’ by acclamation. Voter turnout in
the city’s. 1990 municipal election was 22%;
ii’ the maunicipal election before that it. was
13%. ne
“Hardly
democracy.

local

inspiring : stuff for

,

IF YON SEE THIS CHARACTER WtTHINy
200 YARDS OF THE PRIME MINISTER
DURING THE CAMPAIGN ...
SUP Fin!

“fine

But Clark’s proposed financial penalties
are even less inspiring.

Putting a price on a vote would lead to
its immediate devaluation.

We might get a heavier voter turnout,
but we'd also likely elect more people even
less qualified to represent us than. those in.
power now.

Clark presumes that eligible voters don’t
vote because they have little interest in their
government. But many people stay away
from the poils because they have decided

that — faced with their political choices — .

not voting is as important a decision as
voting. :

In a democracy,- the right nol to. vote is
as integral as the right to vote.

The democratically challenged need po-
litical inspiration, not state penalization to
convince them of democracy’s value.

NEWS QUOTES OF THE WEEK

“ty agree with the plaa, but we'd
charge a six-pack, or in the case
. they are hardcore Liberals, we'll
give them a six-pack not to vote.”

Rhinoceros party member Barry
Headoffice Heidt, on . North
Vancouver Cite oun. Rod
’ Clark’s ‘plan to:il.: deinquent
voters. (From a: Sept. 17 News
story. J

“Mir.
competent than any other
members in Premier Harcourt’s
re-shuffled cabinet.” .
:West Vancouver-Garibaldi

Schreck. is. no more in-

cabinet shuffle and why fellow
MLA David Schreck should have
been included in the new cabinet.
(From a Sept. 17 News story.)

. ‘Imagine compromising our wa-

tersheds for jobs. Have you no
other answers? I hope you're all
turfed out in November (after the
municipal election).”’

Sylvia Osberg, 63, to members
of a Greater Vancouver Regional
District water committee -— on the
committee’s decision to endorse a
recommendation to aerially
harvest a 36-hectare cutblock in

_the Capilano-watershed. (From a

Sept. 12 News story.)

“They're all in bed together. ...
They pull the blankeis over each
other and there’s a lot of moving
and shaking going on. We don't

know who's doing what to whom,

but we kauw who feels the effects,
of that kind of an operation in a'
political bed," -

Former B.C. premier and cur-
rent B.C. MP Dave Barrett,
charging that the Liberal, Tory
and Reform party leaders are all
in political bed together on the
North American Free Trade
Agreement. (From a Sept. 17
News story.)

MLA David Mitchell, on the NDP

Publisher...

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Comptroller . . ;. .Doug Foot

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raids mh

wallet again

new services

AFTER OCT. 1 British Columbians anxious to hang on to
as many as possible of the few hard-earned bucks left them -
by the three levels of government may be visiting their.

bavks more often.

To draw out cash.

You don’t Aaveto proffer
plastic or write a cheque to pay
your bills. Good old $100, $50.
and $20 bills are still legal tender
for settling any commercial ac-
count. ‘

More about that in a moment. :
Meanwhile, the costs of a whole
new bunch of necessities take
another upward leap in B.C. on
Oct. I.

That’s the date when the :
sneakiest item in Finance Minister
Glen Clark's rapacious 1993
budget comes into effect.

Never a word about it, of .
course, in the NDP government's
upbeat ‘‘Budget 93”? brochure:
And even those media that didn’t
miss it entirely back in March
carried only a brief, vague, '
tucked-away mention. i,

Ever since it was firstin- |;
troduced, the Previnciai Sales Tax
— raised to 7% from 6% this year
— has applied only to goods. Now
it is to be applied to a whole range
of SERVICES as well, becoming
in effect a “provincial GST.”’

Beginning next month you’!]
pay 7% not only on parts and:
material but also on the LABOR
for the following, among other
things:

@ Furniture repair, re-upholster-
ing and refi inishing.
®@ Appliance repairs (stoves, | if
fridges, dishwashers, TVs, etc.).
@ Business equipment repairs.
(cash registers, photocopiers, -
computers, etc.).
® Alterations or repairs to adult

' clothing. ;

® Watch repairs and
maintenance.

@ Auto servicing and repairs (in-
cluding tuneups, lubes, battery
charging, tire-changing and wheel
balancing).

The Consumer Taxation Branch

bulletin is a little cagey about the
complete range of taxable items.
In general, they cover any ser-
vice involving “tangible personal
property.”’ This, in turn, is
defined as ‘‘personal property that
can be seen, weighed, measured,
felt, touched or is in any other.

way perceptible to the senses.””

Oddly, however, any work in- .
volving real property — house
painting, roofing, plumbing and
electrical work — escapes the tax.

Haircuts, massages and dental

HITHER AND YON

work, you’ ll be relieved to hear,
‘are also specifi cally exempted. So
are veterinary services, pet ..
grooming, horse-shocing, dog
walking and repairs to ora
wheelchairs.

Nevertheless, that still ‘leaves the
door wide open to plenty of fur- ..
ther service items, once Mr. --:
Clark’s creative mind can set
around to them. :

And every time, don’t forget,
this “‘provincial GST”’ will have ©
the federal GST slapped on as well
for a grand total of 14%, © 2;,

The other. certainty is that the. 3
new.tax will give yet another boost
to the already booming under-
ground economy. : ;

When it costs you $24 to spend
$100 on almost anything — your:
$100 itself having been heavily
taxed already ~- increased tax
evasion is inevitable.

Any service person | who fails to
charge you the prescribed tax an
forward it to Mr. Clark will, of :¢
course, be committing a criminal

‘orfence.

However, when you ask said
service person for an estimate, it is
not yet a criminal offence to tell”
him you inteiud to pay in cash.

Just that. Nothing else. Don’t
even THINK of discussing tax —
it will only upset both of you!

. oe
WRIGHT OR WRONG: ‘The only .

unforgivable fault is not trying tc to.
mend all your others.

' NEWS photo Noil Lucente

NORTH SHORE realtors held their 17th annual Grouse Mountain
Climb on Saturday, Sept. 11. Bell Realty was the winner of: the ;
overali competition with Rlemax Crest finishing second. ©