The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

PAGE 2, WEUTY FRRE PRE884 WEDNESAY, APRIL 2r». 1990 WIlson urgres business to as GST savings on to customers By Mike Kowalsld Savings resulting from -the goods and -services tax (GST) should go to consumners and flot bo *used to increase corporate The architect of perhaps Canada'. most controversiai tax measure since theonoi ai in- com aIfl ain..- son was in Durham Region làst Friday to drum up support for the GST. Ho offorod his advice to local businessmen duringe a lunch in Oshawa sponsored Dy four area, business orgaizations, including the Whitby nChamber of- Com- merce. «Howý do 1 know business will pass on the savings (from tho GST> and flot pockot t ?" Wilson asked his audience of almost 400) business and political officiais. «"Because Canadien business leaders have told me that busi- ness in this country is so, com- petitive, theY can'tafford not to." However,- Canadians are cymn- cal and need convincingthoy will see lower prices when the tax tekes effect, said Wilson. The seven per cent GST will replace the current 13.5 per cent manufacturers' sales tex iwhich is buiit into the price of many goods. Whiie the govemmnent élaims' the GST will resuit in cheaper products, it will be applied ona much larger scale and includo many items and services pre- viousiy untaxed. Wilson chailenged Mis audience te ensure the GST benefits con- sumers. «They (consumers) need te hear i t fromn you that savings wili be passed on," said Wilson. "I encourage you te be public, fhat you will pass on the savings te your customers.» Wilson said many Canadians will be botter off with the GST. By combining anticipated sav- ings at the checkout counter aiong with tax credit checks issued on a quarterly-basis, Wil- son said low-income earners will benefit. «Three-quarters of senior citi- zens will be botter off, threo- quarters of single parents will bo botter off," ho redce. Hersoe o rtc h say the GST penalizes those, who can least afford it and that a botter method of reising revenue* is te increase corporate tex. «I've heard People say 'What about profitable companies that pav no tax?'" said Wilson. qIn 1987 bofore we brought in tax reform the banlcs hardly paid KEENAN BPRIN stays dry as he awaits, with 9graudmother Lois Scarlett of Whitby, the arrivai of Finance Minister Michael Wilson at the Holiday Inn in, Oshawa last, Friday. any tex. This year thoy'll pay '700- te *800-million ixn tex." Ho warned that if Canada'. tax rates became teo high, the country could lose jobs te' the United States as companies sought a more competitive tax system. "The key here i. that jecking up corporate income tex may bo cute politics but it's a lousy way to run the country." Wilson'. defence of the GST, which was recently passed by the Houso of Commons and- now aweits Sonate approval, was not the solo tepicf his il, While ho touchod on sevoral aspects of the govornmont's economic policies, the GST Frie ... photo, Chri. Bovie j dominated the, question proi folo0n sremarks Noting that Wilson said Canada stili lias «a significant problem' controlling inflation, Oshawa businesswoman th O'Flynn eskod if rising nlton and interest rates'wou ld delay implementing the GST. i . Or if the Liboral-dominated Sonate doesn't do it for you,» said CYFiynn. "Wbile I can't speak for,,,Mr. MecEachen, I think we're etin1 inflation under' control, I don t ses that as a reeson te delay the GST " answered Wilson., (Ahan MacEachen is the lea- der of the Liberal caucus i the Sonate.) "But iet's not forget t the GST will improve the economy, it will reduce our inflation pro blems, said Wilson. Earlier, *ho had. referred te' Canada's enormous deficit, of which 35 cents of every tex dollar cëollectod by Ottawa goes te service interoat on the debt. «When* government borrows money te pay its buies t'. ekng it away from the private sector which éouid use it te invest and croate jobs,' said Wilson. Ho warnod that interest on the deficit alone has grown te $40- billion, and only through reduc- ing govenmont spending and revenue-generating measures such as the GST can it bo con- trolled. Wilson proudly pointed out that when the Progressive Con- servatives tcjok office in 1984, the former LibeýàI govenmont «was spendin$16bilion more thaji it was takingiM*. "This yeafrthore will bo a $13-bilion'operating surplus. The cost of operating government is less tedayý than in 1984.» Wilson attributed' this te eli- minating 12,000 civil servants ftom the governunonts payrol and 75,000 people employed by Crown corportos "Half cf that was through pri- vatization, the other haif was making them more business-iike in their operations." SR4 PAGR 1.1; DIET with MEDICAL SUPERVISION DR. S. K. BERNSTEIN R H*)I1C I1 A N OFFICES IN WHrY, OSHAW, TOIROND, SCARBOROUGH NORTH YORK, MISSISSAUGA, BRAMALA, BRAMPMIN, THORNHII4 RICHMONDHlL, SIDUFFVILLE I I PHONE 666-5939 80 Thickson Rd. S. ... .....ALLFAX BÛINESS SYSTEMS CANADA has moved to their new headqliarters to 2000sq. ft. of showroom & offiýes at 1121 Di.mdas Street East, WhitbY. ......... ........ .... ...W e a re .,. .. ne ofDurham's largest photocopier & facsimiles specialists - we offer leading technology, full colour Panasonic digital and B&W photocopiers, facsimiles, supplies & teclinical service. . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ...V_:rUDA Phono: Whitby 430-0004 ~~44Z]Toronto 428-2828 P nasonic _Fax :430-0005 The Perfectionistsi 4 M8' 0 o IiJ -4O\1EASY PARKING