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l Ottawa Report Time to take integrated look at taxes Taxes too many of them too complex and too high We live in a small country of million people with the second highest standard of living and that is very expensive This is one reason why taxes are high But there are other reasons waste and inefficiency of services among levels of government And especially the federal debt which sucks off almost per cent of all our tax dollars in interest There was almost a tax revolt in Caledon earlier this year over property taxes And local taxes in Halton Region went up million last year Meanwhile federal and provincial taxes keep on rising both governments have had over 30 tax increases the past five years Where is It going to end I had an interesting experience a few days ago that I like to share with you Kent County is a couple of hours west down the 401 and in that county is the small town of Blenheim 500 people Proper taxes went up from per cent to 130 per cent this year and that triggered a tax revolt A group of business people actually refused to pay their taxes The town faced a cash crunch and in the face of revolting tax pavers council passed a resolu to freeze tax rates They are also talking about the possibility of a referendum which would pose the question of never raising taxes more than the inflation rate In went to Blenheim for two days to talk to the tax revolt leaders have a day long Town Hall meeting and then write a report on this revolt or Michael Wilson There was some yelling and some tears And for almost six hours people in the high school auditorium told me of their frustrations What happen ed there I decided could happen here or in any other town in the country What I found was an attitude that people don t mind paying taxes if they can see that those taxes are fair They can tand the need for example to pay down the national debt or to support education and health care But what they can t understand is why there is so much dLphca tion in government Why does each township need to have its own road graders Why have two educational systems evolved in Ontario both funded by the pro vincial government Why will we have two sales taxes after the GST comes in why can t the feds and the provinces combine them Why are taxes always going up 8733050 Unit 8 Georgetown Behind Ha Main Street South Downlown Georgetown 873 1470 even when the population stays the same or even declines People here in Halton Hills and Caledon are asking the same questions Politicians at all levels have to stand and answer Federal spending this year is 2 billion higher than last year with billion of that going for creases to pensions family allowances and unemployment payments Ontano spending is up about 9 per cent while Ottawa s spending is up per cent The town of Blenheim is spending 8 per cent more this year The Region of spent 3 per cent more last year These are all reasons why taxes are high and getting higher The federal government will spend billion this year The provinces will spend billion and increase that spending at twice the rate of inflation And think about the debt that governments have run up The federal debt is worth per Canadian The Ontano provincial debt is worth another per citizen And all of that costs money in interest which has to be paid either with tax dollars or new borrowing This is the plan Right now the federal government takes in billion more in taxes than it spends and this surplus is used to pay part of the interest on the debt With more spending cuts and the GST this surplus will rise so that in we should have enough to pay all the in terestonthedebt So if Michael Wilson stays on track in four years we will have no deficit and will actually start paying off the debt But this does not come easily People don t like the thought of paying the GST All the special interest groups that get federal money don like the idea of more spending cuts There are those who opposed VIA Rail cuts and the plan to sell cut backs unemployment in surance and clawbacks of pen But what are the alternatives Taxes can keep rising forever and more tax revolts are pro bably just around the corner Maybe it s time we took an in tegrated look at taxes because payments to all these levels of government come out of the same pocket And maybe its time to end some of the costly 1 11 be having Town Hall meetings on this in a few weeks Lets work together for more common sense m the tax system Now the largest saie139 SAVE OFF ALL SUITS 5 d a Rag NOw239 SAVE 30 OFF AND MORE ON OUTSTANP SELECTION THIS FALL S NEWEST IN SP0RTC0ATS save ON DRESS SHIRTS SAVE OFF OUR FABULOUS SELECTION OVER 5000 DRESS SHIRTS i on Do Lao Che go d mo Rag sale24 70 OFF OOO TOP QUALITY SWEATERS bod Rag WO 00 sale SAVE 50 OFF 000 THIS FALL S NEWEST SWEATERS TOP QUALITY BLAZERS SALE AND UP FINAL CLEARANCE 1000 sport shirts sales SAVE ON HUNDREDS MENS SWEATERS Rag 135 SALE14 SAVE 50 OFF THIS FALL NEWEST DRESS SHIRTS SPORT SHIRTS IIS N0W SAVE OFF ENTIRE STOCK ARROW SPORT SHIRTS lag SALE AND UP CLEARING SOCKS ad Rag SALE PAIR OTHER DRESS SOCKS SAVE ON DRESS SUCKS AND CORDUROYS 38 Rag sale29 SAVE OFF OUR TREMENDOUS SELECTION FALL FASHION SLACKS sale69 SAVE ON 2 000 MENS TIES Reg US 00 SALE OR TIES FOR 20 SAVE OFF ANOTHER 1000 TIES SAVE OFF OUR FABULOUS SELECTION SILK TIES SAVE ON LUXURIOUS LEATHER JACKETS Rao a SALE SHE OFF OUR GREAT SELECTION OF LEATHERS SAVE 20 OFF MORE on amandou to A Woo he lop O a A HO a- A 36 Rig i 19 SALE W UP SAVE OFF AND MORE ON OUTSTANDING SELECTION FALL WINTER JACKETS a on Joka Bomb Pa hoi fog Gem and much mo a sale SAVE OFF MORE Bug a Boy COME VISIT NEWLY EXPANDED MAM ST STATION RESTAURANT FOR FREE BEVERAGE ANY PURCHASE ASK FOR COUPON FREE BOXES ALL YOU WANT STORE HOURS OPEN MONDAY OPEN FRIDAY fiussmans MENS WEAR Mam Street Arthur