'A4- The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, January 11, 1995

TERRACE:

STANDARD

ESTABLISHED APRIL 27, 1988

ADDRESS: 4647 Lazclle Ave., Terrace, B.C. = V8G 188 TELEPHONE: (604) 638-7283 = FAX: (604) 638-8432 MODEM: (604) 638-7247

Tax fairness ~

ONE OF former Skeena MP Jim Fulton’s more constant efforts was to quell the idea that there is, in his words, a ‘‘24-hour boog-a-rama’’ going on on native reserves when it comes to public monies of one type or another.

For the vast majority of the time, Mr. Fulton is tight. Even the most casual examination of Statistics places natives among the disadvantaged when it comes to incomes, no matter what the source.

But there is one area that has always been a tricky issue and is now even more so given a Revenue Canada edict of Jan. 1, 1995. And that relates to income taxes paid by natives.

Up until Jan. 1, natives who lived off-reserve and who worked for native-owned businesses were exempt from income taxes. The qualifier was that native companies had to have their head offices on reserves even if the majority of their business was conducted off-reserve. This edict doesn’t affect natives who continue to work on reserve. . | The edict did not affect a lot of people, approxi- mately 3,000 ail told. And it has led to one sit-in at a Toronto Revenue Canada office.

This particular issue of taxation is a matter of fairness and the edict is welcome. For as much as natives may statistically and in reality be dis- advantaged, there are certain common bedrock elements that must apply to all Canadians.

To be sure, there will still be people upset about the income and other tax exemptions for natives who live on reserve. Those people often forget that these exemptions were created as part of the Indian Act and were not thought up nor intro- duced by natives. . .

But that will probably soon change as native self government agreements are made. Govern- ments, no matter who runs them, are experts at easing monies out of the pockets of their citizens. To think otherwise is unrealistic.

And finally, as long as Revenue Canada is tak- ing aim at tax havens, here’s another suggestion. It might start casting an eye on some of those offshore foreign tax havens so enjoyed by some of our larger corporations. That’s also a matter of fairness. |

Tree year

IF INDEED this is the Chinese Year of the Pig, in B.C, it should be the Year of the Tree.

By spring, the provincial government will have fully cranked up its new Forest Practices Code and be financing Forest Renewal projects.

More cynical people might suggest this is all a run up to an election in 1995. In reality, both programs are long term and rational efforts designed to ensure that our precious timber resources prosper and are enjoyed for countless years to come.

All this is not to suggest everything is going to

be rosy this year. The benefits won’t be felt for years. And that means the watch words for forestry this year will be patience and co- operation. .

wt SONA PUBLISHER/EDITOR: Rod Link ADVERTISING MANAGER: Mike L. Hamm

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Serving ihe Terrace and Thernhlll area. Published on Wednesday of each week by Cariboo Press (1969) Lid. at 4847 Lazelle Ave,, Tarraca, British Colutabia, oo Storias, photographs, illustrations, designs and typestyles in |he Terrace Standard are the property of the copyright haldars, including Cariboo Prass (1969) Ltd., ifs iliustration repro Services and advertising agencias, ‘ so Reproduction in whole or in part, withoul writlen permission, is specifically prohibited. Authorized 2s second-class mail panding tha Post Office Department, fer payment of postage in cash.

Cathar bay

Special thanks to all our contributors and correspondents for thelr time and talents

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Three cheers for exports

VICTORTA — The way I see it, you: hear cnough bad news in the next 12 months to turn you into a basket case, So, to start the year off on a posi- tive note, Jet me cheer you up with some good news.

According to figures just feleased by Statistics Canada and B.C. Stats, total exports from British Columbia rose by more than 16 per cent in 1993 to $19 billion, the highest value of exports ever recorded in this province.

Even better news is that Brit- ish Columbia’s exports con- linue to diversify. White the U.S. is still British Columbia’s single largest market, account- ing for 53 per cent of total ex- ports, the Pacific Rim ac- counted for 36 per cent of the province’s exports. ;

By comparison, Canada. as a whole shipped 80 per cent of its goods to the U.S. and only nine per cent to the Pacific Rim. We can thank cur geog- raphica! location for that, and the efforts of successive provincial governments which, regardless of political stripes, have done a good job of open- ing Pacific Rim markets to British Columbia.

Clearly, that strategy is paying dividends. Exports to South Korea, for instance, grew by 14 per cent, to Japan

AN OPEN letter to Mike Scott, MP for Skeena:

Dear Mike;

I understand you haven’t

received one letter or phone |

call suggesting justice minister Allan Rock is on the right track proposing tighter gun control.

May this be your first of many,

I’m not the only supporter of tighter gun control. Hundreds of us sce no reason for every- onc to possess guns. Bul if you own a gun, repister il, and store it out of sight under lock and key.

My parents taught me a healthy respect for guns. We had three on our Saskatchewan farm, They stood behind the pantry door, A .22 rifle, a 303, and a double-barrelled shotgun from my — grandfather's homesteading, Ammunition was stored on the topmost shelf where only Dad could reach.

He used a gun whenever he

Ad

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Gl 13TH. AUE. WH ITEHORSE YT YAGEG

FROM THE CAPITAL. HUBERT BEYER

by 19 per cent, and by a whop- .

ping 31 per cent to Taiwan. Meanwhile, due to a strong. U.S. economy, exports to that! country rase by 26 per cent to more than $10 billion worth of

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destined to states bordering the Pacific Rim. Ty Small wonder, Glen Clark is one happy camper. He’s Brit- ish Columbia’s minister of employment and investment. He offered the following com- ments. along wilh the report that contains the statistics: “Geography bas given Brit- ish Columbia a natura! ad- vantage, Located as we are, midway between Northeast Asia and Europe, British Columbians are uniquely posi-

FROM “PAWS READERS

butchered, Once he had to shoot a four-year-old Per- cheron mare afler she sawed her fetlack on barbed wire and Bangrene sct.in. When my brothers were late teenagers, they were allowed to bunt gophers with the .22,

I have no recollection of . ~ them see the light.

moving those guns even to

clean the comer where they

huddled. When the lille kids hid beside the puns playing hide and seek, they never dis-

Boy! THAT WAS SURE A ROUGH CROSSING!

THROUGH BIFOCALS CLAUDETTESANDECKI -

tioncd to take advantage of growing markets in the Pacific Rim, Europe, North America, and Latin America,’’ says Clark.

“British Columbia is an ideal springboard to Pacific Rim markets, with Vancouver the closest major sea port on the North American west coast and the Vancouver Internation- al Airport a leading North American hub for the Pacific Rim region,’’

There’s more good news in the statistics. Exports of valuc- added products made up 13 per cent of British Columbia’s to- tal exports. That means growth in economic sectors olher than primary resources,

Which is of the uimost im- portance to British Columbia’s future, because we can ilo

‘ “longer rely on the continued

extraction and export of raw materials, particularly lumber. Value-added is where it’s at, and any increase in exports of value-added products will help lessen our dependence on pri- mary resources, ;

Still, forestry remains the province’s number one export item wilh all forestry com- moditics comprising 60 per cent of total exports, up 23 per cent over the previous year, Jor a total of $11 billion.

turbed the guns.

Such a contrast to a recent new report of a county in Washington state that passed a

Jaw every adull must own a

gun, At a backyard barbecuc, adults: wearing tee-shirts and shoris sat around in lawn chairs with John Wayne-sized revolvers balanced on their crossed knees. A sillier tableau would be impossible to stage without John Candy's direc- tion.

Apparently you doubt ithe government could casily cn- force the proposed Icgislation, given the opposition. Remem- ber when seat belts became mandatory? Some motorists swore they’d never buckle up.

They didn’t until they paid too many $75 fines or their

kids convinced them lo do the

sensible thing. For a few, one accident was cnough to make

Opponents of gun registra- tion argue the paperwork would be onerous. Nonsense. Canadian police must file a

WHERE'S THE FRYING PAN?

— —

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Fewer guns will save lives

=| OF THE DISHES

Export of softwood lumber rose in all of British Colum- bia’s markets with the excep- - tion of the United Kingdom, where a decline from seven per cent of all softwood exports in 1992 to a mere one per cent in 1993 was noted.

The performance of other seclors was cqually im- pressive, Exports of fisheries products, for instance, rose by - 10 per cent in 1993 to $696 million, That same year, the fisherics industry recorded its highest wholesale valuc in his- tory, recovering strongly from the downturn of 1991 and 1992,

Exports ‘of natural gas to the | United States also continued to tise in 1993, reaching $439 million in value... That. | teprescited an increase of 24 per cent for the year and con-“""’ linued the trend which saw an average growth of 20 per cent in exports of natural gas a year.

While the above-mentioned statistics are good news. for British Columbians in gencral, they are twice welcomed by Clark and the NDP govem- ment,

With an election morc. than likely this year, I’m sure Clark - plans to wave those figures be- fore anyone trying to bad- mouth the government’s per- formance in matters economic,

om,

written report accounting for every discharged bullet.

Surely if overworked cops can report in triplicate, so can gun nuts who aim mainly to kill time . . . or anything elsc that moves, including — pro- tected animals. ’

I’ve heard most of the argu- ments against tighter gun con- trols. But I'm not buying. Their excuses sound a lot like “Tm not recycling my news- papers so long as olhers are plugging landfills."

Too many little kids acciden- latly Kill themselves with guns left around the house like tossed jackels. Too many people commil suicide. Too many women are shot to death - by an embittered spouse or ex-: boyfriend. Fewer guns can only save lives, :

As for gun collectors, targe

shooters, and gunpowder ad--- -_

dicts, I'l work at feeling . sympathetic toward them .. . bulnol wholcheartedly.

RIGHT HERE T CLP! ON TOP. |,

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