Wednesday, May 17, 1989

If you found the 1988 tax
rcturn quite a challenge to com-
plete, you are in good company,
This past filing season, Revenue
Minister Otto Jelinek did his own
lax return for the first time in
several years,

And he, like all other Canadi-

ans, ran.up against the results of

tax reform,

“I guess | scored fair to good,”
said Jelinck in an interview. “I
had the accountants check what I
had done and they made correc-
lions in ‘a couple of areas.”

Jclinck said his involvement in
his family’s sporting goods busi-
ness plus his investments proba-
bly meant his tax return was

more complicated than the aver-

age Canadian’s.
But at Ieast his experience has
given him a personal as well as

ministerial interest in what he.

-has decided will be one of Reve-
nue Canada’s major projects for
the coming year: trying to sim-

-plify every aspect of the tax

_ return.
“If I have one priority. it wil
- be to try to make the forms,
guides and processes. simpler,”
pele, said.

There: are few subjects more
touchy in this country. than
“unemployment insurance. That
probably explains why few fed-

cral governments have been will-

books on the subject, Ict alone do-

anything, about it.

So when Employment Minis-

ter Barbara: McDougall recently | .

went ahead and not only opened
the books, but actually wrote a
new chapter, the fallout was even
heavier than anticipated. There
is, after all, good reason why

most politicians —— past and —~ DRAPERIES
present —~ prefer to tap dance ° XANTIQUES (4 *ETC.

around this issue whenever pos-
sible:

® @ UI is one of the most:
expensive government programs -

ardund. It currently costs Cana-

dian taxpayers an excess of $1 I.

billion each year;
® This staggering amount of
money does not include the tens

of millions of dollars shelled out
over the years to study the issue,

usually through P arliamentary or
Royal Cammissions,
« @ Few serious observers of the

UPHOLSTERY |

Page B7 ©

“T have set up a special section
in my office to work on simplifi-
cation,” said Jelinek. “So far, six
people are dealing with this area,
and I am prepared to commit
more if necessary.

“We will look at every Ictter
We get, and use every suggestion

that has merit.’

The 48-year-old minister
admitted he was a bit apprehen-
sive about the new tax return
when he took over the Revenue
Canada portfolio last January.

“We want to simplify the fan-
guage. We want to provide tables
to show what calculations must
take place. We want to expand
the use of color coding and
examples so people can sce ata
glance what they have to do.

“We are planning pilot pro--

jects as we go along to make sure
we are: going in the right dircc-

. on.”

And Jelinck ‘wants to hear
directly from you if you have. any
comments or. suggestions that
would help. with, the simplifica-
tion process. Write to him — you
don’t even need a. stamp: Otto
Jelinek, Minister: of National

~ Revenuc, House of Commons,

: Bounce: former. claimants: back
: into the workforce.’ E
'. Despite a-lot of. talk to. the
conirary,. there: was nothing par-»:
- ticularly carth- -shattcring about ~
~.McDougall’s announcement.:
The ‘simple fact of the matter. is’
Ahat-in view of our $320-billion .
accumulated federal debt, Cana-_

dians are in no position to take

. extravagant social programs
ing to consider opening the.

lightly.

With the strong influcnces of
ever-changing technology and
free trade now a reality, the need

for enhanced re-training pro-
grams to help unemployed. wor-
_. kers has never been more urgent. |.
Groups such as the. Canadian: ’

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Canadians were just getting their
first look at.the new forms,
which combined some of the

previous system of deductions —

with the more widespread use of
tax. credits produced by lax
reform,

Yet the filing scason went quite
smoothly, with litle difference
from previous years, Jelinek said.

“Most of the mistakes this —

time were in arithmetic,” he said.
“Being new to the job, I found it
incredible to sce how many mis-
takes there were.

“Fortunately, we now have | a
more sophisticated computer sys-
tem which catches and corrects
the errors more quickly.” -

Jclinck said he can’t promise
Canadians a. simple tax retum,
only a simpler one. |

“We have a complex tax sys-
tem,” he said. “The first step is
recognizing the problem. We’ve
done that and now we are doing
‘something. about. it.’

Jelinek said: there has been

little change i in the level of unre- °

ported. income, the so- called
underground economy.
He said: his + department will

= Federation. of. Independent: Busi-
~~ ness —. which has" long.

pushing for movement in the arca. °
- of re-training to help unemployed. £
workers. become long. .term:
employees -—— ‘were encouraged”:
“by McDougall’ S proposals. but.

add there is still a long way to go.

If the government jis scrious

about cleaning up the inherent |.
dcficiencics in this system, they.

say, it will have to demonstrate an
increasing amount. of political
will in the months to come.

~ Canadians concerned about ©

proper government spending,
however, should: be. encouraged

that this latest step is at Ieast i in 4

the right direction,

652. ‘9454

continuc to focus its audit efforts
in arcas likely to produce the
greatest recovery of tax, typically
large corporations rather than
ordinary individuals.

Jclinck said he will also resur-
rect the Declaration of Taxpayer
Rights, which was introduced
four ycars ago by. Perrin Beatty,
then Revenue minister.

- This document reaffirmed

every taxpayer’s right to informa-
tion, right to impartiality, right to
courtesy and consideration and
presumption of honesty.

“Another of my prioritics will
be to bring the Declaration of
Taxpaycrs Rights to the forefront
internally,” Jclinck said. “*We
cannot and: must not move away
from those principles. We have to
be constantly vigilant in our
work, but we are. not going back
lo. the days when taxpayers were

_ harassed.”

We will never enjoy paying
taxes. But if Jelinek is successful
in- reaching his objectives of
reminding Revenue Canada per-

_ sonnel to. be humane as well as:

human, and of making the tax
return and. accompanying mate-

-rial easier to understand and use,

-he will have earned’ our (non-
taxable) gratitude.

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| SAANICH PENINSULA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

~ LUNCHEON MEETING —

-- 12 noon Thursday, May 18
images — Sidney Travelodge

SPEAKER: Mr. Del Baccn, Trade Commissioner,
“International Trade. Centre, Vancouver.

‘Miss ‘Sidney contestants. will bein attendance..

= Tickets $7. 50.
‘Limited ‘seating: Tickets in- advance. please.”
‘from Sidney Travel and Christine. Laurent”

“ . Jewellers’ in= ‘Sidney, the: Chamber. office, or:
Noah’ s “Travel. in: ‘Brentwood.

system. will deny that overly-
generous benefits in certain parts
of the country have created ao:
major disincentive for at least...
“some unemployed workers to re-
enter the workforce ands -
@ The very powerful Canadian
labor movement has vehemently
. Maintained its position that more
unemployment insurance: is bet:
@ tor == NOL less, >
“Such obstactes lett MeDoug all
the unenviable task of “better
spending” the $T1-billion alba-
tross and, after weeks of specula-
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~ strategy-recommended more than
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