py - Zs sw Wifes ey Yigyy NYONE who doubts the high pollution levels of local waiers need only take a Sunday morn- ing walk along Ambleside beach in West Vancouver to have those doubts remov- ed. A recent stroll along a portion of the beach revealed amidst the usual seaside flotsam and jetsam: a half dozen plastic tampon applicators, a used hypodermic syringe, a dead crane, several used con- doms, countless cigarette butts, two dozen plastic foam cups, a dozen plastic soft drink cups, empty cans of engine cleaner and three empty plastic oil con- tainers, While the source of some of the items is likey the Lions Gate Sewage plant’s outflow pipe, which discharges in First Narrows waters, the source of such pollutants 2s used oil containers is likely Tide of filth from residents who continue to regard the ocean as a convenient receptacle for the garbage of affluence. Ambleside was recently hit with the outfall from a spill of 40,000 litres of diese! oil from a vessel] collision in Van- couver harbor. Stricter control of vessel traffic in the harbor and tighter control on the size of oil tanker traffic through Burrard Inlet could help reduce some of the fallout from such industrial harbor traffic pollution, but the only way to contro! the avoidable pollution from private traffic and private residents is through raising the public’s environmental conscious- ness. The latter is a far more difficult task than the former, but a far more impor- tant one in the overall battle to save local environments. the benefits, it’s time to look In accountant jargon it’s called “‘cost-efficiency.’’ Ultimately it's the only way to function suc- cessfully — both in financial and personal matters. Sparking this philosophical plat- itude is a recent depth study by the Canadian Tax Foundation on the huge, largely hidden costs of col- lecting taxes under Canada’s ar- chaic federal tax system. Economist Francois Vaillancourt of the University of Montreal, co-author of the report, put it at $5.5 billion in 1986 — the last year for which full figures were avail- able to him. The average cost to every taxpayer came to about $349 —— 6.9 per cent of taxes collected. Even that 1986 total, which cer- tainly must be higher today, was nearly one-fifth of the estimated 1990-91 budget deficit of $28.5 billion. Vaillancourt found that, in 1986, individual taxpayers spent an average of 5.5 hours preparing their return. Those who had it done by specialists paid an average of $69. The average DIRECT cost in time and hard cash was $117. The 1986 total for individuals came to a whopping $1.95 billion. The cost to employers saddled with collecting and remitting payroll taxes, UIC and CCP contributions was $2.75 billion. Banks and other financial institutions had costs of about $28 million. Compared to this $4.73 billion bill for tax collection footed by in- dividuals and businesses, Ottawa itself spent a mere $771 million on administering the system — only 14 per cent of the overall cost of collecting taxes of nearly $80 billion. NOEL WRIGHT Niandarins not into cost-efficient tax WHEN THE cost of doing something is too high relative to for a better way of doing it — or even ask if we need to do it at all. to catch greater numbers of them would simply add untold millions more to the cost of collection. Equally immeasurable is the loss to the economy of many of its brightest and best minds — the thousands of lawyers, accountants and tax return preparers who now live on handsome fees for devising tax avoidance tricks that protect their clients from hefty penalties or jail. Were all those brains busy, in- stead, on productive work to enrich the econorny —- and were there less encouragement for the underground economy — we’d wipe out the deficit fast AND pay lower taxes. But then, how can Ottawa man- darins — who, with life tenure and fat pensions, dictate the tax struc- ture to transient finance ministers: + — be expected to care a damn about cost-efficiency? nek DATELINES: Sons and daughters of Ireland — whether in fact or merely in spirit — will jig into St. Patrick's Day from 8 p.m. tonight, March 16, with the Tru Tones band at North Van's Silver Har- bour Centre, 144 East 22nd, as it salutes the Auld Sod. Tickets $5 ... Happy birthday cards today, March 16, to North Van’s Alan Hassell and Jeanne Wintemute ... Poke around tomorrow, Saturday, March I7, for hidden treasures at West Van Legion on 18th Street, where the Ladies Auxiliary is holding a garage sale ... And would West Van Mayor Don Lan- skail kindly deign to tel] shook-up Bellevue commuters when that now nine-month-old strip of washboard in the 1700-1800 blocks a a a res onsibiljt But even this is only the tip of the iceberg. The true cost to the economy is many times greater. Delegates accept can at long last hope for a date Dear Editor: Under the heading 5,000 bad ways to pick a future prime minister, Mr. Noel Wright decries the fact that these 5,000 Liberals will select their party leader, and, as he recognizes, the next prime minister of Canada. He complains that they will be totally umnrepresentative of (and non-accountable to) the electorate as a whole. He is absolutely right. They will not be representative of the Tories, the socialists or the communists. They will not be rep- resentative of the great majority of Canadians who neither join nor suburban newspaper and quahtied under Schedule 114 Paragraph Wil of the Excise Tax Act. is published each Wednesday. Friday and Sunday by North Shore Free Press Lid and disinibuted to every door on Ihe Norn = =V7M 2H4 contribute to the support of politi- cal parties, They will be representative of those of liberal thought who recognize their responsibility as cit- izens to participate actively in the political process; to meet regularly to discuss and develop policy; to Support the party financially in both good and bad -times; to nominate candidates and to volun- teer their services at election time. They are the people, along with members of the other parties, who make Canadian democracy work. These delegates will be selected for this most important duty by their colleagues who know them, Publisher Peter Speck auras surtn anu weer —ie Display Advertising 980-0511 Managing Editor Timothy Renshaw ‘ ; Classified Advertising 986.6222 Associate Editor Noel Wright paNsioor ooo) Advertising Director Linda Slewart . a Sub: 986-1337 SUNDAY + WEDNENDAY + BIDAY u SCHPUGNS oa North Shore News, tounded in 1969 as an inuependent Faa 985-3227 1139 Lonsdale Avenue. North Vancouver, B.C. and because of their continuing involvement in the political process and in the Liberal party, they will be the appropriate group to make that choice. There are many who believe that next time the decision should be made through universal suffrage of all party members. Whatever the process and whatever the political philosophy, the opportunity to Participate will always be available to those among us who are prepared to accept all of our responsibilities in this democratic society. Charles M. Campbell + West Vancouver MEMBER Consider, first, the widespread ‘underground economy”’ which never yields a cent of tax revenue and grows with every tax hike. At Jeast 95 per cent of these cash or barter deals go undetected and, of course, add to everyone else’s tax bill. But it’s a no-win situation. Enforcement machinery sufficient with the blacktop machine! tee WRIGHT OR WRONG — a 17th of Ireland toast: May the roof never fall in, and may we friends below never fali out. o waeen Prue qo agwess Snore. Second Class Mad Registration Number 3845 Subscnphons North and West Vancouver, $25 per year 59,170 (average, Wednesday Malling rates avaiable on request Submissions are welcomes Out ‘we cannot accept responsibility tor Fuiday & Sunday) unsolicited Male nal inciting manusc npts and pictures a which should be accompanied by 4 stamped. addressed envelope rete ret ay ace oon SUA DIVISION North Shore owned and managed JUST COMPLETING this tax return could cost you $120 or more in time and/or cash — over and above your tax itself! Enlire contents © 1990 North Shore Free Press Ltd. All rights reserved.