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CASTLEGAR NEWS
70 Deawts 2007/CASTGAR AC, vi ad

FOURTH AVENUE
ec

365 3563

corr em

Carol Magaw

Kootnikoft
ISING SALES

OFFICE 365-5210

Pakistan, —.
moment a reporter steps into the office he pulls out
photograph album and points to of an ailing
mother, his father and the elegant home they once
owned in Karachi, Pakistan.
Ben-Tahir, now an information systems officer with the
Affairs

Political turmoil between India and Pakistan, swindles,
pogr-health and floods had reduced the once-affluent, land-
owning couple to poverty by 1971, he said.

Ben-Tahir suys Revenue
Canada officials made
his life miserable
for more than a year.

Armed with Revenue Canada's responses and his final
victory in December 1979 when he received a cheque for
$1,305.80 from the department, Ben-Tahir wants the story
told of how he was made to feel like a “cheating, lying
taxpayer.”

He insisted his father's death Nov. 22, 1978 — just days
before his 68th birthday — was speeded by news his son was
in trouble with the taxman in Canada because of his parents.

SALVAGE LIVES

“I was trying to salvage their lives at a subsistence
level,” he said. “It's part of the Islamic culture to help your
parents when they are in trouble.

“After my father died, I had nothing left to lose,” he
said, and the controversy over the department's collection
tactics prompted him to open his file to Progressive Con
servative MP Perrin Beatty and subsequently the media.

A recently released film depicting fictitious taxpayers
being caught by an all-knowing, all-seeing Revenue Canada
computer has added to the debate.

Revenue Minister Pierre Bussieres suspended further
distribution of the 12-minute film until government public
relations experts can assess the department's methods for
communicating with the public.

Ben-Tahir, who moved to Canada in 1960, argues he was
the victim of unnecessary harassment because the depart.
ment was under orders to assume anyone claiming deduc-
tions for foreign dependents was a liar.

On March 26, 1979, then-revenue minister Tony Abbott
confirmed a crackdown was under way in an attempt to
counter a growing problem of taxpayers inventing needy
foreigners as a means of reducing their tax load.

VIGILANCE ORDERED

Abbott told the Commons on March 26, 1979, that his

officials had been instructed to treat foreign-dependant

Record-breaking daily
maximum temperatures
warmed Castlegar, atthe end
of January, but no records
were set for the month as a
whole.

Mean temperatures for the
last few days in Jan. were 6
to 8 degrees above normal.
This was caused by a trough

No records &
set in
January

“I regret the frustration you may have experienced in
tela MEIC Go pattran™ reso Baber, ‘who died last
year of catiter.
the department was
under orders to
assume anyone claiming

deductions for foreign

dependents was a liar.

But the experience has left Ben-Tahir wondering what
happens to people who do not have people with some
influence to go to bat for them.

Revenue Canada is prohibited in law from discussing
individual taxpayers, but Pierre Savard, chief of special

claims with special vigilance because the racket was costing
the government millions of dollars.

The law allowed deductions of up to $780 for dependents
over the age of 16 whose net income was less than $1,590.
Ben-Tahir's tax returns, which included copies of bank
transactions in Canada and Karachi, show his claims were
less than the limit for 1975 and 1977 — the two years ques-
tioned by the department.

He said tax officials rejected the deductions even
though he had provided all the d i ired

in the Ottawa district office, said some needed
document must be missing from a tax return to warrant a
reassessment.

“There's a reason if we've disallowed something,” he
said in an interview, adding that numerous cases of
taxpayers abusing the system by claiming phoney relatives
have been uncovered over the years.

He said the appeal procedures under the Income Tax
Act provide a safety valve, which in effect give people such
as Ben-Tahir a chance to set the record straight if they can.
But Savard said many people unfamiliar with such appeal

4
under the guides for claiming foreign dependents.

This included a Sworn affidavit from his mother’s doctor
“in Karachi testifying to her diabetes and deteriorating
health. .

The guides said no such affidavit was required for
dependents over the age of 65 so Ben-Tahir had not bothered
to get one for his father, who was partially blind and
suffered major heart attacks in 1978 and 1974.

The Ottawa tax office insisted’on further proof of his
parents’ health and financial status.

“They were on a fishing expedition,” he said. “When
they found they had made a mistake, they accused me of not
sending the money and providing false documents.

They then asked if he would co-operate with them by
naming other people who were cheating on their income tax,
Ben-Tahir said.

Ben-Tahir's father died while his son was in London
getting special diet food and medicine for his parents.
Ben-Tahir returned to Canada and took up what turned out
to be a year-long campaign to clear his name.

This involved enlisting the help of Progressive Conser-

off the coast which pushed
moist Pacific air across the
province.

A spell of warm weather at
the beginning of January was
caused by a similar trough off
the coast.

The mean maximum tem-
perature for January was 2.4
degrees.

VANCOUVER (CP) —
British Columbia's high un-
employment rate is forcing
home owners to walk away
fen rn :

tutions started foreclosure
dit on 4,323 B.C.

CREDIT UNION

RRSP

homeowners in 1983, a slight
increase over the 4,188 reg-
istered foreclosures in 1982.
Between 1979 and 1981,
there was a yearly average of

Pp might be thrown off by the experience.
ADMITTED ORDEAL

“An appeal no doubt would be an ordeal to some,” he
said.

One of the people who wrote to the department on
Ben-Tahir’s behalf said in an interview he found it
worrisome that Ben-Tahir was made to feel like a
“small-time criminal.”

Butchart, now retired from the armed forces, said he
had visited Ben-Tahir’s parents in Karachi in 1970 and could
see they were encountering political and financial diffi-
culties.

At that time, Butchart and Ben-Tahir, known as Ben
among his friends, worked together at the armed forces
Base in Trenton, Ont.

“I had known Ben well enough to believe in his
character,” Butchart said in a telephone interview from his
home in Lion's Head, Ont. “He told me he was being
harassed and told by people in Revenue Canada that he was
lying, cheating, tax evading and ev else.

“I think the fact that he did win the case — that says a
Jot.”

Foreclosures increase

Typically, homeowners lost
equity in their houses when
prices dropped, and then
they lost their jobs. But they
didn't lose the debt attached
to their homes and the debt
burden was too much to sup-
port.

“We are finding in towns
like Port Hardy or Port Al-
berni people have lost their

B.C.’s unemployment rate
is at 13.6 per cent.

Another pattern was the
small investor who purchas-
ed a second house or con-
With equity ero-

1,654

High interest rates took
the blame in 1982, but not
now, says Bruce Timmins,
manager of the Canadian Im-
perial Bank of Commerce
Mortgage Corp.

“For people with no
money, there's little. differ-

Credit Union

wore: the loot minute rush,
Feb. 23 10 89, receipts will be
eveilable the nex! business doy

When you invest in a
credit union RRSP we'll issue
your official tax receipt on the spot-
while you wait.

When you're ready to file your Income tax
return your RRSP receipt is ready when rd

Kootenay Savings

Castlegar 365-3375
South Slocan 359-7221

ence between an 18-per-cent
and 10-per-cent mortgage,”
he said Thursday. “They can
afford neither.”

Timmins said there is a
pattern to the foreclosures.

600 - 23rd

ded, said Timmins, there was

jobs, their unemployment
has run out and, with only
social assistance, it's impos-
sible to maintain payments
on a house,” said Rho Tuttle
of the Canada Mortgage and
Housing Corp.

no future in
monthly payments.

At Vancouver City Savings
Credit Union, B.C.’s largest
credit union, operations man-
ager Frank Coffey said an
average of six fe
are started each month. Usu-
ally, Coffey said, the prop-
erty owner is “suffering an
income squeeze.”

Most actions don't go all
the way to court, he said,

UNIQUE KITCHEN DESIGNS
OF CASTLEGAR

presents Kitchen Cabinets
and Vanities by

OF KELOWNA.
Sales and showroom opening soon!

South Cas ir

Street,
(next to G.L.$. Electronics)
PHONE WALTER HOLUBOFF

AT 365-3848
for layouts and price quotetions.

Job openings

Details of these and other job
Opportunities ore available at:
Trail Canada Employment Centre

Phone: 368-5566

A local clothing manutoctu
requires applications trom
perienced Ud
machine operators in an-
ticipation of an expansion of
production into a new garment
jield.(11D)

Certitied dental
required in Trail 3 day:
(12450

rer

Certified medical laboratory

required in Trail on

en on-call and summer reliet
basis. (35D)

An opening exists in Trail for
on experienced jeweller. (24T)

A opening exists in Castlegar
fora corntied on
© part-time basis. (40D)

Part-time work/training for
17-25 year old youth one night
per week and one w:
month. Potential full-time sum-
mer employment. (001BAP)

Electronic technician with ex-
perience in TV-HIFI car audio-
Video repairs required in Trail.
Emy hd

wou! 17
S.A.1.T. graduate. (45D) °

Deadline: February 29th, 1984

MONTE

How To Start Your Own

Business

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15

7:00 P.M. TO 10:00 P.M.

COST: $18.00

REGISTER NOW WITH P .
Sheron Coventry 426-7241 (collect)

Federal Business Banque fédérale
Bank de

CARLO — CASTLEGAR

TH Canadt

vq

heat

ray is

Re ek MLL Me CaO

RRC UL

ie.

FACELIFT . .

Work began last week on renovations to the Kootenay
Savings Credit Union building and adjacent stores. Among many

Work should be completed by April.

things, the project involves building new entrances to all the stores.

Costtews Photo by Ron Normon

Canadian firm a first

By JOHN VALORZI
The Canadian Press

As far as Merrill Lynch Canada is concerned, what's
good for gold is good for oil.

Mindful of the success of its Goldcorp precious metals
fund, the Toronto-based broker has put together an invest-
ment vehicle that will try to make a buck in the Alberta oil
patch as well as provide creative financing opportunities for
some of the industry's struggling companies.

Called Oilcore Investments Ltd., the new company
hopes to tap the market for between $40 million and $125
million in public capital.

It will use the money as an equity pool to buy producing
oil and gas properties, structure deals, and invest in energy
stocks and possibly other short-term bank or government
securities. It also plans to pay quarterly dividends of at least
three per cent of stated capital.

Merrill says Oilcore, to be listed on the Toronto stock
market, will be the first public company of its kind in Canada
and will give investors who want to play the energy market
more options beyond simply investing directly in stocks.

Last year, when gold prices were rising sharply, Merrill
put togethet Goldeotp investments Ltd, which raised $175
million from investors to put into precious metals, foreign
and Canadian gold stocks and cash.

TAPPED MARKET

Altogether, Goldcorp and the three other major
precious metals funds tapped the market for $400 million,
proving Canadians have large ites for such i
vehicles.

Even though gold prices have dropped $60 U.S. an
ounce since Goldcorp was born, investor returns from the
fund have held their own.

Merrill spokesman Jim Coutts hopes investors in the
energy field will take the Oilcore in the same manner.

According to the preliminary prospectus, Oilcore is
issuing $10 units, which consist of one common share and a
warrant exercisable in 1987 at $9.42 into another common

“For the next year or so we'll see a weak industry and
one that could get even weaker,” Jennings said. “With a
weak market and with a nice chunk of equity, essentially
what we want to do is go into the business and buy
production ... we're not going to be involved at all in the
risky exploration end.”

Oilcore won't be there just to bail out companies but to
seek the highest possible return for investors with minimum
risk.

“It'll be good for the oil patch in a sense because it will
be new capital coming into the business. But we're not going
to be in the charity business. We're there to take advantage
of opportunities in the industry... we want to do deals.

“Maybe it'll be as a catalyst between merging a couple
of companies or purchasing securities where we see an
upside potential.”

But the company will be choosy. “There aren't hundreds
of deals lying around. You look at 20 and you throw out 19
pretty quickly.”

Jennings said the concept behind Goldcorp and Oilcore
is similar but the two companies are completely different.

“We-don't see Oilcore as a mutual fund or a private
closed-end holding company as we've seen in the market-
plaee‘with some of these gold funds.”

Local
business

workshop

Individuals contemplating
starting a business will be in-
terested in a three-hour
workshop to be held in
Castlegar Feb. 15 from 7 to
10 p.m.

“The likelihood of a new
business succeeding, al-
though not guaranteed, is
improved by the amount of
planning which takes place
before the doors -open,” ac-
cording to Mike Kartasheff,
manager of the Cranbrook
branch of the Federal Bus-
iness Development Bank.

This course will be of value
to the persons thinking about
going into business.

eles

cent, up sharply from 1961's
8.46 per cent. Overall, 1982
was the best year for radio
stations in at least eight
years, the association said.

$51,100 in 19862 on net oper- The association's “typical”

i
f
rb
RE

4
Ss
E

Thank You |

Castlegar District United Way )
wishes to sincerely thank the general :
public for its support of this year’s
campaign, especially during this year of
financial uncertainty.

You have shown you care.

Also, a special thank you goes out
to all of the benefitting agency :
personnel who have worked so hard
throughout our campaign.

THE UNITED WAY
DOES WORK

e

U.S. lags
in industry
race

WASHINGTON (AP) —
U.S. manufacturing, a main
force behind the country's
rise to world power, is falling
behind foreign competition
and putting future American
leadership in question, says a

share. In addition, there's a second warrant into
common shares at $10 each in 1990.

Merrill will underwrite the issue of shares and warrants
and act as investment advisor, but won't be involved in the
day-to-day operation.

That will be left up to Calgary financial consultant
Carson Jennings and Associates, an old hand at putting
energy deals together in the oilpatch.

Rob Jennings, co-founder of the five-year-old company,
says that with the energy sector in weak condition and
poorly financed, many companies face heavy debts and
nervous bankers urging them to sell assets.

This gives Oilcore plenty of opportunities to structure
deals, buy properties at attractive prices and arrange mar-
riages between ailing companies and willing investors.

- 2 a

Rates Guaranteed for the Term!

1 YEAR — 94%
2-4 YEARS — 10’
5 YEARS — 10%%

Fixed Rate Plan — $500 Minimum

(Rates subject to change without notice)

Y ” Geel

study by nine
of the manufacturing giants
in the country.

The study's recommenda-
tions; Shape international
policy to help U.S. industry
as well as meet political
goals, tailor tax laws to en-
courage more investment at
home, reduce interest rates
and bring down the over-
valued dollar by cutting the
federal deficit and somehow
find a way to slow a 30-year
stream of recessions.

WHY?

must be

toria.

conducted

THANKS TO RED
CROSS VOLUNTEERS

donors who have volunteered their time and their
precious ‘Gift of Life’ over the past years. Many B.C.
citizens are alive and healthy due to the generosity of

Due to rising costs and new technological advances the
Red Cross has suspended indefinitely local blood donor
clinics in the West Kootenay.
A sincere thank you goes out to the hundreds of blood

With increased emphasis upon blood components ex-
tracted from donated blood more blood donor clinics
the processing
laboratories. Platelets, used to assist cancer patients,
factor VIII for hemophiliacs and albumin for burn vic-
tims are examples of the blood components which are
used daily in hospitals throughout British Columbia.
These components must be extracted from blood which

close to

‘WE NEED YOUR HELP!
Although the blood donor clinics will no longer be part
of our community the Red Cross needs volunteers for
numerous other projects. These include the following:

LWA

e: interr
2. Emergency Services: aid to disaster victims.
3. Burned-out family assistance.

land d 5

Castlegar residents.

blood requirements during 1984.

4. Youth and Water Safety.
5. Parent Support Program.

for you!

Donors within the Lower Mainland and Victoria regions
will therefore be asked to supply most of the province's

Again — our thanks to the donors of Castlegar, the
businesses and associations who have contributed
clinic space and publicity and to
organizations for their excellent support over the past
has been donated no more than two hours distance years. A special thanks to the Kiwanis club who have

from the laboratories located in Vancouver and Vic- been the sponsor of the clinics for many years.

In order to assist your community through your local
Red Cross contact the following for more information:

Karine Johnson, 365-7153

It's working

the service