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FEE PROTEST, NOV. 9... there are going to be mo

up to 40 percent.

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re as students at all three universities face increases of

Students to face tuition
increases as budgets cut |

_ The fears of student leaders that
it would be students who would
carry the weight of the heavy
education cutbacks in the new
provincial budget were borne out
this week with announcements of
fee increases at two of B.C.’s three
universities. ‘

The-tuition fee increases, ex-
pected to be in the range of 25 to 40
per cent, are in spite of widespread
Opposition from students. A
campaign co-ordinated by the B.C.
Federation of Students had
swamped education minister Pat
McGeer with thousands of letters
in an attempt to ward off the in-
creases.

The Socred budget, however, cut
$10 million from the recommended
minimum figure of the Univer-
Sities Council by allowing only an
8.5 per cent real increase in
Operating costs when _ the
universities had asked for a 22.1
per cent increase. Socred finance
minister Evan Wolfe had put the
increase at 11.5 per cent, but he
included in his figuring the costs
for the new B.C.
programming.

‘The president of the University
of Victoria, Howard Petch, an-
nounced tuition fee increases
would be forthcoming at his
university even before the budget
came down in the House two weeks
ago. UBC president Douglas Kenny
and SFU president Pauline Jewett
were more cautious in their
Statements, but Kenny admitted
Tuesday that fees would increase
at UBC as well. ;

Fees at SFU are expected to
follow the pattern set by UBC and
UVic as the three universities have
agreed to act in concert. Jewett
attempted to duck her re-
Sponsibility by stating her personal
Opposition to the increases’ while
Predicting that she would be
“outvoted’’ by the other two
presidents.

UBC’s Kenny, under pressure
from students, had earlier stated
his personal opposition to fee in-
Creases although the an-
Nouncement of higher fees in-
dicated that none of the presidents
Were prepared to consider alter-
Nate budget arrangements nor
were they prepared to pressure the
Provincial government for ad-
ditional monies.

The actual size of the increases
has not been determined but UBC
Alma Mater Society financial
director Herb Dhaliwal told the
Tribune this week that AMS ex-
Pects it to be close to 40 per cent.

Interior |

“Tt could be anywhere between
$125 and $200,”’ he said, “which is a
lot when you consider that the
average student can save only
about $1,300 from summer em-
ployment. It just means that many
students won’t be able to return to

university.” :
Fees increases area particularly
callous method of meeting

budgetary shortfalls because of the
big impact that they have on

students and the relatively small’

effect they have on overall
financing.

According to Dhaliwal, the extra
$125 per student would add only
about $2.5 million to the UBC
budget which will be in the order of
$125 million to $130 million for 1976-
1977.

Student organizations at all three
B.C. campuses and the B.C.
Student Federation have promised
further action to protest the fee
hikes. At UBC the AMS is presently

considering a variety of actions
including a fee strike.

Even the tuition fee increases
will not stop cutbacks in university
services. UBC would have required
a 14 per cent increase to maintain
its present level of services.
Pauline Jewett said the budget
would make it impossible for SFU
to ‘reach even the AIB guidelines
let alone meet the costs of
emergent programs and enrolment
increases.”

The UBC student newspaper,
The Ubyssey, predicted that the
women’s studies department may
not survive the cutbacks, nor may
the Arts One program. ‘“‘That 200-
student, lecture will probably
become a 250-student lecture...
Those field trips and labs will
become less frequent, those labs
and gyms won’t have the new
equipment they need,” the paper
said.

Controls program
may face change

Cont'd from pg. 1

be followed later by an end to wage
controls in the private sector, while
retaining them in the public sector,
speaks for the Bay Street crowd
and big business. Big business
appears to want all restrictions
lifted on profits while urging the
government to retain part of its
program as far as limiting wages
and incomes are concerned.

Finance minister Macdonald
made his pitch for support when he
spoke before a Toronto audience of
big businessmen on the eve of the
finance ministers’ meeting. He
directed his remarks mainly to the
Liberal government’s proposal to
set up a wages and prices wat-
chdog (similar to the old Prices
Review Board) when the present
controls program is ended.
Macdonald also stated publicly this
week that there is no reason why
the program. should not be ended
this year.

Inhis Toronto speech Macdonald
called on business to work with him
to break ‘“‘the climate of ex-
pectations” that could still, he
maintained, lead to inflation once
controls are lifted. ‘In my view, he
said, “we should not go into the
post-controls environment without
some mechanism that will help us
identify what is happening to...
the economy, and to establish
norms of definitions of
‘responsible behavior!”

The implications of this are
clear. The Liberal government has
no intention of lifting the pressure
on working people to accept lower
“expectations.’’ But profits by the
corporations will be unbridled.

A second major factor causing
the Liberal government to re-
examine its position is. the political
situation created with the election
of the Parti Quebecois in Quebec
and the sharpening crisis of
Confederation. It could be that the
Liberals see this issue as a godsend
to their political fortunes and are
attempting to set the stage for an
early election to return the
Trudeau government to power as

McMath report released

Taxation changes urged

By NIGEL MORGAN

A significant shift in assessment
methods in this province has been
recommended in the long-expected
report of the Commission of
Inquiry on Property Assessment
and Taxation released in Victoria
last week.

What effect the seven-member
commission’s extensive study will
have on the average ratepayer’s
annual municipal and school taxes
will depend on the action taken
later this session. Guidelines are
being prepared by a_ special
cabinet committee examining the
75 recommendations.

A struggle can be expected when
the new legislation is introduced.
For although the 300-page McMath
report, originally commissioned by
the NDP in April, 1975 and sub-
mitted to the Social Credit
government last July, leaves many
major questions unanswered, it
contains a number of important
recommendations. :

Among the more substantial
changes recommended by the
commission are the following:

e That the provincial govern-
ment commit itself to take over 75
per cent (the level is presently less
than 50 per cent) of the cost of all

schools within the next five years.
e That both land and im-
provements be assessed at full
market value, instead of the
present system whereby land is
assessed at 100 per cent and im-
provements at only 75 per cent.

e That market value be defined
as “the value which a property
would command in a sale by a
willing vendor to a willing pur-
chaser in an arms-length trans-
action.”’

e That a compulsory, uniform
business tax be imposed for all
municipalities throughout the
province on all those occupying
business space in order to provide
relief for homeowners.
(Municipalities have the right to
levy but only 21 of the 143 presently
do).

e@ That Crown corporations pay
grants equal to full taxes to the
municipalities in which their
properties are located.

e That amendments to the
Municipal Aid Act provide that all
grants paid by the government in
lieu of taxes be equivalent to
regular property taxes.

e That schools, public and
private hospitals, non-profit
‘corporations for housing the

elderly and city halls pay taxes
within their respective
municipalities.

e That taxes be paid by the
_proyincial government for the
three B.C. universities.

e That the Homeowner Grant be
continued with modifications to
provide more benefits to lower
income groups and pensioners.

The provincial government has

announced that the 1977
assessments — based on the
“frozen” 1974 figures — will

continue until 1978.

The Commission’s report noted
the fact that the property tax “‘is
more significant than in any other
province in Canada . . . expressed
both as a percentage of municipal
income and as atax per capita, it is
the highest in Canada in 1974.”

Strong public pressure needs to
be mobilized to bring about a
substantial shift in B.C. assess-
ments away from the excessively
high tax load local ratepayers are
now forced to carry. Debate on the
new legislation will provide an
opportunity to make the point and
to mobilize action to change this
province’s outdated and
inequitable municipal tax system.

the only government which can
ensure ‘‘Canadian unity.”’

This may explain why the
government would want to get the
unpopular anti-inflation program
behind it, while at the same time
consolidating big business support
behind the Liberals as the only real
political alternative, and to out-
flank both the Tories and NDP.

A third factor, undoubtedly, is
the massive contract negotiations
coming up this year with nearly
every major industry entering into
contract talks. Labor’s opposition
to the AIB program has played a
major role in turning public
opinion against the government’s
wage freeze. While unions have
been slow in recent weeks in their
preparations for the fight against
the AIB in 1977, there are moves
being made now, such as the B.C.
Federation of Labor contract
conference on Feb. 10, which in-
dicates that labor’s continued
opposition to the AIB is a major
factor in pressing the government
to revise its stand. 5

There are strong indications that
the Liberal government’s
discussions with the Canadian
Labor Congress last week, and the
upcoming meeting with repre-
sentatives of the business com-
munity, are aimed at getting
commitments from them to
cooperate in a program of
“voluntary restraint” if the AIB
regulations are lifted. Macdonald
has indicated that Ottawa intends
to set up an agency to ‘‘monitor”’
what he called inflationary factors,
if the present controls are lifted.

Judging from news reports of the
recent meeting between the
government and representatives of
the. CLC, this was the main
question discussed. It was reported
that all they agreed on was to talk
and that further talks are
scheduled. The CLC leaders will
make a serious mistake if they
commit themselves to any
program of voluntary restraint in
return for a deal to end the present
controls program.

The reaction of the Socred
government in B.C. to the tur-
nabout by Ottawa has been sharply
critical. B.C.’s finance minister
Evan Wolfe called on the finance
ministers in Ottawa to carry
through the controls program until
the end of 1978 and pledged B.C.’s
support. His position was one of the
most reactionary of all the finance
ministers present. Premier Bill
Bennett expressed shock on
Tuesday that the federal govern-
ment could change its position so
quickly. He said he was ‘“‘amazed”’
that only two months after an
agreement with Ottawa to carry
the program through until 1978,
that it should now talk of revising
or abandoning it.

The B.C. Socred government has
stated previously that if Ottawa
decides to end the controls
program that it will set up its own
program in B.C. In the recent
throne speech and budget this
position was reiterated along with
an appeal to working people to
practise restraint by accepting
wage settlements below the six per

-cent offered under AIB guidelines.

If the Socred government per-
sists in carrying through such a
right-wing big business policy, and
presses ahead with its own wage
controls program, it will confront
B.C. labor with an entirely new ball
game. However, at press time,
Premier Bennett refused to
comment on whether his govern-
ment will carry through with its
threat to impose its own wage
freeze program.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FEBRUARY 4, 1977—Page 3

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