PAGE 4, WEDNESDAV NOVEMB ER 23, 1983, WH ITBY FR EE PR ESS whitby Voice of the County Town Published every Wednesday s Michael Ian Burgess, Publisher - Managing Editor The only Whitby newspaper independently owned and operated by Whitby residents for Whitby residents. $bY M.B.M. Publishing adPhotography Imc. Phone 6661i Il Ie Free Press Building, 1:1 Brock Street North, P..Bx26thty )t Registration No. 5351 Box 206, Whitby, Ont. SANDRA LUCCI Community Editor ANDY THOMSON Advertising Manager Second Class Mail Premium Increase Bits the Small Business by W. ROGER WORTH People operatFng the country's smaii and medium-sized enterprises and their empioyees may flot be overjoyed with recent increases ln the premiums they pay to the Unempioyment In- surance f und, but it could have been much worse. The reason? A devastating 56 percent general premium rate increase that wouid have been required to balance the government's Unem- ployment Insurance acdount, didn't happen. lnstead, both employers and higher-paid em- ployees wiil pay about 10 percent more corne January 1, 1984. "Our concerted efforts to el imi nateor postpone a massive increase in premlums paid off," said John Bulioch, president of the 64,000-member Canadian Federation of Independent Business. "The politicians accepted our advIce, whIch is en- couraging lndeed." Nevertheless., many empioyees wiil pay an' extra 92 cents per week, brlnging weekly premiums to $9.78. Contributions by many employers will rise by a maximum of $1 .29, to $1 3.69 per week. What's intriguing, though, is that' Ottawa le finally coming to understand that dramatically raising payroll taxes such as Unemployment In- surance is tantamount to killing the smali business goose that is providing a maJority of those preclous golden eggs called jobs. I arn aimost ready to move to a country which moves on standard time. l'il just keep going until the words ""Daylight Saving" draw puzzled stares from those of whom 1 make enquiries. A couple of years ago, in the Spring, 1 had a date to speak to a group of people in St. Thomas. 1 arrived from Toronto with 15 minutes in hand, 1 though. I was met by frantic organizers who rushed me into an auditorium filed with people. They'd been writhing on their hard wooden seats for 45 minutes waiting for the speaker to show up. The time had changed the night before, of course, and 1 had forgotten to put my watch ahead with the rest of the country. The people in St. Thomas were very kind about that lapse. But their kindess only reinforced the misery 1 feit for being such a jackass. 1 was reminded of my humiliation on the recent Fal weekend on which we were scheduied to put the dlocks back again. 1 was in another auditorium, and I discovered that a group of the people l'd kept waiting in St. Thomas were again part of an audience. i wondered that this time they had bothered to show up. But that was Saturday, and I was on time, so they didn't suffer. At Ieast until I started to talk. Late that night, as i was driving east on the 401 towards Coburg, 1 heard someone say on the radio that we should put our dlocks back an hour at 2 a.m. Satur- day, which at that point was just a few minutes off. I pulled off the road and turned my watch back on the spot. 1 was determined that this time i would flot get caught. And on Sunday, i wasn't. On the Monday mor- nung the alarm went off at seven, and I staggered out of bed to go for a long pre-breakfast walk. It was dark when I started but after a while the sun came up. It wasn't until 1 finished my waik, breakfast and the GLOBE AND MAIL that 1 realized i'd done it again. i hadn't changed the alarm dlock, and I was an hour early for work. Actualiy, it wasn't bad. By starting an hour early and falling behind as usual as the day wore on, 1 finished more or less on time. lt's the Spring time change that worries me. There's no way that my day, or mypride, can recover from anything an hour behind. Even better, poiitic.lans from ail the federal par- ties have generally agreed with a Federation proposai to consider holding a full public lnquiry Into the way the Unemployment lnsurance syst'em works. ."There are very real probiems ln an 'Unem- ploymeènt Insurance scheme that wili cost Canadians between $55-billlon and $65-billion over the next five years unless it is tightened up," says. Bulioch. "We have already proven that smailer firms are paying much, much more than their fair share of payroll and indirect' taxes, and we're seeking major changes ln the system to overcome these diff icuities." Stili, Bulloch agrees It will be tough to make substantial changes before the next federal elec- tion, which is one reason he's so pleased with'Ot- tawa's decision to shelve a general Unem- ployment Insurance rate increase of 50 percent or more. That would have ieft firms In the small business sector paying an Onerous $18.60 per week per employee. Under such a system, a lot of smaller com- panies attempting to su'rvive slmpiy couidn't have paid this hlgh prIce of hiring people. "Sometimes governments forget that payroll taxes such as Unempioyment Insurance must be paid, regardless 0f whether empioyers are breaking even, loslngmoney or earnlng profits," Bulloch points out. "Thankfully, this time, the politicians decided ln our favour. 1 only hope they've finaily corne to recognize that payroii taxes are creating serlous problems for the smal business sector." LETTERS TO THE DITOR This letter was suh- mitted to the Free Press ln response to a few comments made by Larry Solway on his talk show on 1350 CKAR Nov. 17. Dear Mr. Solway, As a past president of the Whitby Jaycees and à member .0f its' Executive for the past five years, I feel com- pelled to respond to your recent tirade against our organization. It's one thing to be opinionated, but another when your facts are totally off base. For the record, the Whitby Jaycees are not $10,000 "in the hole" quite the contrary - and your saliclous commen- ts in that regard could seriously damage both our credability within the community and our credit rating.as it now stands, a matter of libel which wiII be discussed with our solicitor, Whit- by's first "home grown" QOC. and a senator of the Whitby Jaycees. Your further salacious comments concerning the Marigold Parade are also without fact or foundation. Should you be in town on the morning of Dec. 3 you wilI no doubt be wit- ness to Whitby's lSth consecutive Santa Claus Parade mun by the Jaycees. This project was managed, suppor- ted and perpetuated by the Jaycees after numerous organizations decided it wasn't worth the effort. Look no further than the Whitby Jaycees for the initiation of the Drug Disposai Program which has spread across the province with en- thusiastic public sup- port. And who brought the Circus to town - the Jaycees! The next time you are listening to the Question and Answer period from the House of Commons, remember that simultaneous tran- slation was a Jaycee in- novation. Finally, but only with this letter, when the 1972 Soviet Veteran Hockey Team visits Whitby next month, it will be on the invitation of the Jaycees - with proceeds to J.O. Ruddy Hospital!1 Your peeve, Mr. Solway, that the prize in Our current "Millionaires" draw is flot dinner for two at a local establishment but rather at LaScala in Toronto followed by Harry Belafonte live is- shortsighted. Quite frankly, if the committee thought that the, winner would be more thrilled to be, treated locally, I'm sure that would be the choice, even if the majority of tickets were sold in Toronto. Most, if flot ail, of the Jaycees and Jaycettes have supported your establishment, myself included - can you say the same of some of ours? When it comes to' sup-, porting Whitby with in- novative ideas, affir- mative action and, not to underestimated, dollars generated. not only from within but also from outside, there are few who stand taller than the Whitby Jaycees. Ask the Mayor. Or ask Mike Burgess, owner and editor of the Whitby Free Press, a past president of the Jaycees to whom, amongst others, copies of this letter are being sent. David V. Loft Active member of the Jaycees.