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PAGE SEVE We re flot dolng, as baclly as ma!ny Caadfians .believe BRo.StevenSon DuhmRidiIng MP For many Canadians, the amou>lt we pay ln -taxes ls the Most obv"us effsct of government and hôw i: Influences aurlives. >Taxespadta Ioderai,ý provincial and municipal govemments have a cnsdraiie. Impact on our porsonal affairs - - how much we have l.ft for iving costs and any extras. The amnounit caliected ln taxes aima determinos, how much governments can spond on essontial services,, and on vitaljprograms such as health cars and 'U rting thoso neoding specia assistance. Prmr conversations with ail the people 1I meet, each week, N'd estimale at ieast nîne out-of 10 belmeveth9y'r9 paytng too much in taxes. Sa far as the federal governoent se, concemi4, l'd have f0 agres that we are paying much more than woul\ have been necessary if Ottawahfad'taken a difforent course over the past 20 yes and not gone sa deeply inoadot icit financing. More wais spont bikthen on -programs and services than was collected inaxs We're paying heavily for that now. 1 Realistically,, a balanced federal budget will not b. achieved for at ieast another throo or four years, no matter what the poltical stripe ai tho ernmenlm detinitely no happier about presont tax lovels than any other Canadian. When expressng aur frustration oranger about taxes, we sometimes los. focus on why ail this mono yis needed, and whero it goos. .Asurprtsig number of, Canadians havo the idea that thoy're taxed- much.mor e oaviiy than residonts of other countries. Whiie wo ,mayf have the highest persona] income tax among the ieading lndustrial nations - the so-called G-7 - that ignores the social socurity.taxes aima charged ta residents cf tiiose other'count ries. According .ta a st udy by theOrg0anzation. for Economic Ca-operation and Developrnont - an indeendont research group based ln Paris - the average Canadian production- worker In. 1989 paid loss In foderal and provincial income taxai social securify contributions than the warkers ln 18 other major countries, including the U.S., France, Bitain or Gormany. Only ln Japan did workers pay less than Canadians.- The indepondent OECD study shows that ln oach ai the G-i nations 'dung 1989, the incomne tax and social security contributions,1for a ono-earner couple with two, children, as a porcentage cf the worker's g rossoarnings, averagod out as follows: i3ormany,26.6 per cent, Unte Kingdom 24.0 per cent, ftaly 23.3 por .cent, Unted States 19.0 per cent, France 18.0 par cent, Caniada 14.6 par cent aid Japan 8.9 par cent. .When Canadians compare their taxes wif h the apparontiy much lower rates ln some p arts of the U.S., they-f requently ovorlook that aur taxes include t he cost of a heath care systemn that manqy.. Americans envy. To buy equivalent private heait h covorage, U.S. residents have -ta pay, $350. to $400 or more each month.' Whon yau lok at the broad picturs, total tax revenues for aur ioderai, provincial and local governments equal about ane-t bird of the value of what aur countrypoducos each year. Agaln, that puts usln, a better situation than rance, Germany, ltaly or the United Klngdom. id, aur tax systom i s bocoming-farer. Those earning less than $15,000 pay anly 0.8 par ceint of total* personal income tax. More high-incomo Canadians are paying tax tMhain ever bofore. And some 300,000 senior citizens have beon relieved tram tax on their incarnes. Last year, corporation inrne tax revenue was 60 per cent hIgher than for 1984, even though corporate profits were 10 per cent iower. While none ,of us enjoy paying taxes - me included - compared ta elsewhere we're noît doing as badly as many Canadians beliove. Unique designs from renownedo Canadian artisis. unicel - UNICEF'cards are on sale now. To fInd out where, cail: CUNICEF' Ontario (416) 366-KIDS BilSýnI-sIohn oS hswe ?z~~JliMU~ ITEOR 0F WITBY 'mKEtHDLW TABERNACLE, c. 1905 The Methodist Tabernacle, now St. Mark'. United Church, ié decoorted here fora, special. occasion. The church -was bufit in 1875/76 and could seat up ta 1,000 people. When constructed, it was Whitby's largest church. WhltIV ArddVe. photo 10 YBEARB AGO frein the Wednesday, December 16, 1981 edition of the WHITBY FREE 1RESS. " Nine hundred and one people attended Whitby's third annual Olde Wyme Christmas party at the municipal building. " The provincial governinent bas grantesd $441,760- talink the Corbett Creek and Pringle Creek sewage treatment plants. *Durham Region needs $165 million ta renovate Fairview LiodgeB. * Ringwood House, at Victoria and H kis streets, bufit in 1876, is ta, be dsgae as an historie 'bldunig under the Ontario Montage Act. 25 YEAES AQO fram-the Thursday, December 15, 1966 edition of the WMIBYWEEIKLYNECWS "*FHeber Down defeated John Goodwin ta be electsd the last Reeve of Whitbhy Township. " Plans are nearly complets for Whitby's first high-niseà apartinent an the aid buckle factary site. " The Town of Whitby is advertising its new lodging house licensi ng bylaw. "Witby'aes metcots could increase byj 50 per cent under a countyon 75 YEARS AGO frein the Thursday, December 14, 1916 edition of the WHrfBY GAZIMF AND CERNICLE " The Town counicil -Wll assist local recruiting agencies igetting soldiers ta, volunteor tu, serve i the European war. *special feur for Christmnas night at the music hall is movies of the war and an illustrated lecture on Mie in Sing Sing Prison. " W.G. Walters' lothing store i. open until 10 pan. evexy night during the Chrismas season. *A VWhitby vigilante committee has beenformed to, stop chicken stealing i the Town. vý