MEL SMITH, QC, the con-
stitutional expert who has
_ written the definitive work
on Indian land claims, says
Ben Franklin was wrong
when he stated there was
nothing certain in this world
except death and taxes. |

Hf old Ben could look North
now he would see that 565,000 sta-
tus Indians in Canada have been

given virtual immunity from all
taxes — federal, provincial and
_ municipal.

Which doesn't stop the Indian
“nations” demands for more of
everything. We may be throwing
billions of dollars their way but it
is not enough.

We are back on the subject of
Our Home Or Native Land, and:
the chapter in the book headed

Fiscal Folly is alone worth the -

. price of the book.

“1, As has been pointed out in this
“column before, Indians don’t have

-<to pay GST or PST in Park Royal ,

South. Or for that matter in any

. ‘other bit of land they own. Which
“inspires a worrying thought.

.. If we give half the country to,

them, which is by no means,an

impossibility they won't have to

‘No way on
Canada Day

Dear Editor: .
oy. £.On= page 38 of. your
, Wednesday, June 28, edition,
--you :published a picture of a
~ Saturday, June: 24, Canada
‘Day © parade | on Lonsdale
Avenue, : ;
“T- couldn't help noticing
somebody. marching in_ the
. parade carrying an American
» flag. For Canada : Day? No:

orth Vancouver

- engineered for the

pay taxes in that half, either. And if
current trends continue that is
exactly what will happen, courtesy
of our brilliant political leaders,
Up in the Northwest Territories
they already control one-fifth of
the Canadian land mass, thanks to

Doug
Collins

on the

a other hand |

Brian Baloncy and the ever-pliant
Liberals and NDP. We have to /
atone for “past wrongs,” you know.

Tax exemptions? Smith points
out that ingenious techniques are
used to arrange sales on reserves,
which are not subject.to taxes, And
| would say that that has been
most part by
ingenious white salesmen, But who
can blame them? They are just

MANBOX POLICY

playing by the rules.

The feds have been generous
with your money, as always,

“Revenue Canada has ruled that
even though goods may be pur-
chased OFF the reserve, they will
not be subject to GST if they are
deitvered to the reserve by the sell-
er,” stites the author.

What must surely take the cake,
he continues, is thateIndians are
still entitled to the GST “rebate
credit” paid to low-income
Canadians,

What could be better? That's
right in line with the something for
nothing attitude fostered by the
feds, except that you are paying for
the nothing:

Remember that old saying, “I
beats:the band?" The band — the
Indian band — is now. beating us.
With a lite help from its friends.

Status Indians living on reserves
are beyond the reach of provincial
and municipal property taxes, too,
Some, like the Squamish, do pay
taxes for garbage collection, But
the point is that they cannot be
compelled to pay a dime, no matter

what services they enjoy, including

potice protection.

Incomes earned on the reserve
are also non-taxable. Even if
Indians work off-reserve, no more

mailbox

LETTERS TO the editor must be legible (preferably typewritten) and
include your name, full address and telephone number. ;

.. Submissions can be faxed to 985-2104, but still must be signed and fully~
addressed. a ; ;

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than 3,000 in the whole country
will have to pay income tax, thanks
to new guidelines issued by -
Revenue Canada. The Supreme
Court of Canada had ruled that off-
reserve incame was taxable, but
the ever-lovin' feds jumped into
change the rules again. |

“The whole thing is farcical,”
states Smith.

ICis also scandalous, ridiculous,
and crazy. But what else can we
expect when we are ruled by foals
who practice the politics of racial
preference and appeasement?

Indian “self-government” is
another seamy expression. You pay,
they govern, There is never any
mention of the-“self-governed”™
managing their own affairs, like
welfare affairs.

Reserves have the right to col-
lect property taxes, however, and
that's why Central Saanich on
Vancouver Island has lost 4.8% of
its tax base. Indian Affairs, mean-
ing the feds, gave the Tsawouts

that right without giving the

. municipality time to negotiate an

agreement.

But Centra! Saanich, says
Smith, still has to provide fire pro-
lection, water, sewer services and
much else, and the band is “drag-
ging its feet" in (he matter of pay-
ing for them. Or was, at the begin-

ning of this year.

West Vancouver, states Smith,
“spoke wistfully” in 1993 of get-
ting back $950,000 from the
Squamish, * “pending fi finalization of
an agreement.”

Apartheid is acceptable.
Especially if you are an Indian liv-
ing apart on white foolishness.

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