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FRIDAY, AUGUST 8, 1969 VOL. 30, NO. 32

SOCRED TAX POLICY
FAVORS MONOPOLIES

Morgan hits The Bennett government has made a tax concession

ce

to the big corporations which will save them tens. of
millions of dollars by exempting industrial machinery
from municipal taxation. It will mean that homeowners
will have to pay higher taxes from now on to make up for

ra entrees

education
Nolicies

Socred amendments to
the Public Schools Act and
tax policies were the
target of an attack when
Nigel Morgan, Provincial
leader of the Communist
Party spoke to an all-party
forum in U.B.C.’s new
Student Union Building
Wednesday arranged by

the B.C. Teachers Fed
eration.

Morgan praised the
€deration’s community lead-
ership and courageous stand in
Tinging the school crisis in this
Province to public attention,
Pledging support of the
Communist Party and all its
Candidates for the campaign and
Proposals the BCTF has
advanced.
pate educational system in
his province is in a first class
Ps Morgan charged. ‘“‘And
€re is no way of solving it until
an aroused public opinion
Compels the senior govern-
eas, and __ particularly
ictoria, whose direct responsi-
lity education is under the
Present constitution, to put up

More money.
What has to be recognized is
Not only that educational

Tequirements are expanding at
tion astic rate in the new revolu
ae Ty, technological age,
pening and material costs are

Sing sharply, but B.C.’s school
€nrollment has been expanding
a approximately twice the rate

the population explosion in

Sla—5% per year.

‘The present school and
University crisis is the result of
ay attempt to evade that fact,”’
- declared. ‘‘Just look at the
eer of school bylaws that
sake gone down to defeat
eeontly. Nearly half the 84

Chool Districts found they were
Unable to live within the limited
0% raise in budget permitted

See EDUCATION, pg. 8

BCFP Earnings
Rise 44 Per Cent

f B.C. Forest Products Ltd. climbed
1969 first half to a record high.

ding to the semi-annual
| ACO tadaw ROKP

Net earnings 0:
44 per cent in the

sek "The VANCOUVER SUN: Tues. July 29, 196
22

estcoast Profit

rGaing 30 Per Cent

Gas Sales Continue Rise
Despite Mild Spring Weather

-. Westcoast Transmission recorded a substantial in-

: i fit during the
ease in both natural gas sales and pro
first quarter of.its fiscal year which ended June 30, the |

{ ay. k
annual meeting was told Monday: earnings for AD riya

=

Socred giveaways
bring vast profits
for U.S. monopolies

The two clippings above from Vancouver daily newspapers last
week tell the story of big profits made possible by Social Credit
government giveaways.

The top clipping shows that B.C. Forest Products, which holds
extensive Tree Farm licences graiited by the Socred government,
recorded a 44 percent rise in net profits in the first six months of 1969
compared to last year. B.C. Forest Products is U.S. owned with a
major portion controlled by the Mead Corp. of Ohio.

The clipping below sh
which was granted the franc
B.C.’s natural gas and expo
gain in net profit of 30 percen

Westcoast Transmission is now controlled by U.S. interests. Gas
sales during the three month period amounted to 673 million cubic
feet daily, with the bulk of it going to the U.S. where it sells for less
than B.C. users pay. ;

Westcoast Transmission has now applied for a vast increase In the
amount of B.C. gas it is permitted to export to the US. Deals are
pending with El Paso Natural Gas in the U.S. which will bring
exports up to 1.2 billion cubic feet a day by 1971-72.
~ The above two clippings are two good reasons why the Bennett
government’s long reign in B.C. should be ended on August 27.

hise by the Socred government to exploit
rt the bulk of its to the U.S., reported a
t for the first three months of this year.

ows that Westcoast Transmission Co.,.

the handout to the big monopolies.

This charge came from Port
Alberni alderman George
McKnight, who has been leading
a fight to end tax favoritism for
the giant McMillan-Bloedel
operation in the Vancouver
Island centre.

Under an amendment to the
Municipal Act, rushed through at
the last. session of the
legislature, hundreds of millions
of dollars worth of machinery
will be removed from the
assessment rolls of B.C.
municipalities for general
taxation purposes.

This move by Premier Bennett
was obviously aimed at winning
favor with the big business
community on the eve of calling
the provincial election.

The change in the Municipal
Act brought down by the
Socreds, which received scant
attention at the time from the
news media, provides that
machinery be removed from the
assessment rolls and in its place
city councils be authorized to
introduce a new ‘‘Business Tax’’
the maximum rate of which was
set_at 10 mills. This “Business
Tax’’ is not compulsory, but can
be introduced at the discretion of
municipalities.

Alderman McKnight charges
that in one stroke the Socred
government has removed about
$30 million from Port Alberni’s

ALD. GEORGE McKNIGHT

assessment roll for general
purposes and in it’s place has
authorized the city to collect a
maximum of 10 mills by way of
the new Business Tax if it choses
to do so. He estimates that the
loss to Alberni alone with be
about $755,000 in taxes.

The scope of this handout to
the monopolies can be measured
by the fact that if Alberni’s loss
of $755,000 in revenue is

multiplied by the loss
municipalities will suffer
throughout B.C. the _ tax

See TAX HANDOUTS, pg. 8

Special Election Feature

BENNETT
_ MUST GO!

See pages 4-5