Tax gougers ‘split’

cause of federal tax concessions

HE recent federal-provincial
T conference in Ottawa to concoct
a new ‘tax split agreement’ ended
in one general accord; viz, to sink
their collective hands deeper in
the low-income taxpayer’s pockets.

This... Re Ww federal-provincial
“agreement” becomes effective in
April of 1962. Any advantages
which may accrue to the harassed
taxpayer from the new ‘split’ (on
paper) will be absorbed long be-
forehand in a new round of spirall-
ing taxation. There is also the prob-
ability that by 1962 the taxpayer
will be faced with dual federal-
provincial income tax ,levies. Clip-
ped at both ends so to speak.

Premier Bennett’s “assurance”
that this won’t happen to British
Columbians merely adds a dash
of Socred political froth to the
prospect of an unsavory and retro-
gressive tax menu.

In a period of deepening econ-
omic crisis the prime aim of any
monopoly-dominated government,
irrespective of partisan labels, is
to impose new tax burdens upon
the common people, while at the
same time adding new eurbs, re-
strictions and “economies” upon
badly needed social services.

And meantime of course extend-
ing greater tax reductions, conces-
sions and so forth to big business
monopoly, under the pretext of
stimulating ‘“private enterprise”
and industrial development.

In this federal-provincial con-
clave on how to ‘split’ the tax-
payer’s dollar (and scheme up new
imposts), it- is remarkable» that
none of the provincial premiers in
the course of their ‘splitting’ con-
ference, saw fit to question the
criminal federal spending in a sui-
cidal arms race dictated from
Washington; spending that tops
one and a half billion dollars. an-
nually. Not even a peep on this
monstrous and useless coldwar
waste by the CCF premier of
“Socialist” Saskatchewan.

It is interesting to note that
present low corporate and big bus-
iness tax revenues will probably
be “eased” by new' rebates, conces-
sions, etc., instead of being upped
on the basis of those “most able
to pay.” This fact explains Premier
Bennett’s “threat to take over”
the tax-dodging B.C. Electric, be-

Pacific Tribune

Editor —- TOM McEWEN
Associate Editor —- MAURICE RUSH
Business Mgr. — OXANA BIGELOW

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which deprive B.C. of some thous-
ands in tax revenues. .

This “threat” should be evalu-
ated with a strong deoderant close
at hand, since it is aimed at making
political kudos at the expense of
the Tories, rather than at the
Secred-subsidizing B.C. Electric,
which in recent times has provided
a goodly portion of Socred election
slush funds.

That was the essence and content
of the premiers’ conference, and
given a typical demagogic ‘final-
ity by Dief and company; to
‘split’? the tax boodle and increase
the ‘take,’ under the pretense of
preserving “provincial rights.”

Even while the ink on the new
federal-provincial ‘split’ is hardly
dry, British Columbians have al-
ready had an approximate five-
cents-on-the-dollar tax increase,
while pundits at Vancouver City
Hall are doing some mental arith-
metic on ‘how much’ a Civic one-
cent “sales tax” would net.

Time to call a halt!

HE 15th session of the United
Nations General Assembly re-
convened this week to face an
agenda of mounting problems,

many of them considerably wors-
ened since its adjournment last
December.

To mention only a few; the con-
tinued tenure in office of the West-
ern powers’ “Man Friday,” UN
secretary-general Dag Hammarks-
jold; the new colonial dismember-
ment of the young Congo Republic
and the brutal murder of its first
prime minister, Patrice Lumumba
and two of his government min-
isters, the direct result of UN
policies carried out in the Congo
by Hammarskjold and his US.
backers. Add to this the continued
and growing. violence and _ con-
spiracies against the legitimate
government of the Congo, (now
under the leadership of Antoine
Gizenga since the murder of Lum-
umba) in certain areas verging on
provoked civil war, and the picture
of UN stewardship under ‘Western’
direction, is a sorry one indeed.

Dag too costly to U.N.

me ommen: ss

The issue of admission of the ~
Peoples Republic of China taking”
its rightful place in the UN. ing
place of the U.S.-Chiang-Kia-shek
“China Lobby” gang, may also be”
settled during this UN session be-
cause of the growing weight of |
Afro-Asian opinion and influence
in the UN. s E

The U.S.-precipitated war iH
Laos, the ‘dirty’ war in Algeria,
general and partial disarmament,
the H:bomb menacing world hu-
manity and peace; these and other —

delayed-action issues crowd each i

other in the UN General Assembly
agendas. ;

This reconvened session faces
another pressing task in keeping
with world opinion; the speedy
termination of Dag Hammarsk-
jold’s office as secretary-general,
and the adoption of organization
and policies designed to restore t0
the UN the dignity and worth of
its Charter. “i

That much events in the Cong?
have taught, at a high price to the
Congolese people, and at heavy
cost to UN prestege and integrity-

Tom
McEwen

CHEDULED to open Friday this
week in London, England, the
Commonwealth Prime Ministers’
conference will deliberate upon

now known in its declining years
as the “British Commonwealth.”

High on the agenda of “defense’’,
NATO, Commonwealth trade, etc.,
will be the “vexing” problem of
racist South Africa. Just recently,
as a means of defending and con-
tinuing its vicious racist and seg-
regationist ‘‘apartheid”’ policies,
South Africa voted to become a
“republic”; that is, a minority of
white supermacists voted. The na-
tive people, Negro and Colored
had no vote on the matter, while
those who voiced their opposition
to such a racist “republic” were
herded into prison compounds or
shot on sight.

Hence the “vexing’’ question at
this Commonwealth conference;
should such a “republic”, founded
upon white supremacy, racial seg-
regation and oppression be per-
mitted “membership” in our boast-
ed Commonwealth or not?

Quite a number of Canadian
newspapers and periodicals have
already voiced “opinions” on the
issue. A recent edition of Mac-
lean’s Magazine provides a class-
ical example of hypocrisy and
cowardly double-talk on this racist

the multi-problems of “empire’’,-

horror.

In other journals we are told
that Prime Minister Diefenbaker
“hasn’t as yet made up his mind.”
The truth is of course that Dief
had ‘made up his mind” (or others
made it up for him) as far back
as the last Commonwealth confer-
ence, at which Dief was one of
South Africa’s racist prime min-
ister Verwoerd’s most staunch
supporters. Dief’s line was to
“save” Verwoerd from ‘“embar-
rassment” by advocating that all
discussion on ‘apartheid’ and the
mass shooting and persecution of
Negro and Colored peoples be
held behind closed doors, in gentle-
manly “private” tete-a-tete.

It would appear that the “pres-
tige’ of a racist prime minister is
more valuable to our wobbly Com-
monwealth than voicing human-
ity’s horror at the massacre and
persecution of Negro people by
white supremacists, masquerading
as a “government”; to keep our
dark skinned brothers in Africa
and elsewhere in that state of sub-
mission in which it has “pleased
God” and a ruthless imperialism to
keep them. So please gentlemen,
no public references to “‘apartheid”’
or its prison compounds — and
graveyards. .

Maclean’s assure us that “in-
telligent and highly skilled men
will be exerting all their craft to
prevent such sharp-edged  situa-
tions from arising at all’ in the
Commonwealth confab.

Precisely. Let’s just close our
eyes and forget ‘‘apartheid’’, for-
get this most despicable of all in-
human evils. Let’s forget that the
hands of the Verwoerd govern-
ment is dripping with the blood
of the South African people. Bet-

ter to emulate the fabled African
ostrich and get our heads well
down in the sand, so that the ‘“re-
public” of South Africa, (which
the native peoples were not per-
mitted to vote for or against be-
cause of the color of their skins)
with its police-state racist rule,
may remain a “valued” member
of our British Commonwealth of
“free” nations.

mands that South Africa be brand-
ed a pariah among civilized na-
tions, even if humann dignity and
decency don’t count for much in
a tory - dominated conference to
shore-up a sagging Commonwealth.

and. independence from colonial
rule in all its bestial forms, we in
Canada have a simple duty to per-
form; to assist Dief to re-“make-
up-his-mind’”’ and in such a way
that Canada will stand out in the
eyes of the world as a friend and
ally of the South African and
African people, rather than as a
stooge for U.S. and British im-

perialism, assigned the job of
white-washing their colonial racist
executioners.

conference may beginn to mean
something more to them (and to
us) than an aggregation of “high-
ly skilled men” seeking to cover
up the racist horror of a Sharps-
ville or a Montgomery, Alabama
lynch mob,

membership in the Commonwealth
by the Diefs, well may the people
of Canada ask in unison with
Shakespeare in “Julius Ceasar,”

Human dignity and decency de-

In Africa’s struggle for freedom

5g ar paar nar Og py

. a .
eA i A BAT i alae sls AS 5 daahs ep allt a it, Ngee at i Bly

That way the Commonwealth

With racist South Africa given

"Bre all thy conquests, glories,
triumphs, spoils
Shrunk to this small measure?”

March 10, 1961—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Pase 3