我時常想9如果要我使用英文以 外的言語來投票3那定是一件十分 困難的事情i。對於那些不曉講或讀 英文的人士 9上述困難-他們庄十 —月十二號擧行的市政府選擧中必 定同樣遇到/因爲是次選票全部採 用英文。我認爲這是極其不公平反 不民主的行動。'
1g設我有」張長長的選票&票上 列出的競選者如市長、大多市顧問 、市議員和學校委員會,他們的名 字都以中文寫出時》無論我如何努 力,我想我也不能把這些中文名字 全部學會,帛時,能否選中我要支 持的一位也鲁成爲問題'。 3:;::;.^),:化:〈','.:
I've ofteit imagined hov difficult it would be if 工l^aci to cast my election ballot in a language other than English. Those who do not speak or read English face precisely this problem in the upcoming municipal elections on November 12th. The, ballots will be entirely in English。 工 think this is unfair and undemocratic .| 、
Let's suppose that工we, faced vith a long ballot, with the names of people running for Mayor, Metro Councillor, City Alderman, School and Trustee: but all these! names were written on。the ballot in Chinese- No matter how hard I tried, I doUbt if I could learn the Chinese characters for all
mnm
林頓市言
tiACK «。 LAYTOW
無疑問s不少華人公民!圧3 期間都會遇到上述的困難^不過》 在其他社區也出現同樣的問|題。很 多投票者基於"一種語言的選票 而放棄他們應有的表決權"、
看來,目前是市議會解決|此困灘 的時候,多淪多將不會是第;一臈採
取行動的城市-其他城市已!採取了
of these names in order bp be sure that I was selecting!the person I wished to support.
There is no doubt thatj many r Chinese citizens face exactly this problem at election ^ime?。 The same problem arises for other communities. Many voters are virtually prevented from exercizing their democratic -rights because of the : uni-lingual ballot. 、 \
It is time that City Council moved to correct this profclem. Toronto would not be the iirsb city to, make this move. Other cities have done so already. San Fransisco, for example, has an election ballot which \ contains Chinese and Spanish languages, Why should vejin Toronto be behind San f
物業稅與地方敎育經
PROPERTY
OLIVIA CHOW <|>郯至
夏天是房]^維修或者加建的最佳 季節。但,小心,政府的物業稅評
估人員桌根據,屋的維^而重新評 估物業稅。由使只是多設了一涸盥 洗盆,或者加搭了幾塊紙皮板-甚 至稍爲修葺一下地板或者加髹一層 油漆,都可能被指爲增加了房屋的 價値,因此物業稅亦要提高。其實 ,這些只是房屋的必要修葺,並非 是美化和加建"如果物業稅因此要 提高半倍或者一倍,是非常之不合 理的,稅務評估人員這種武斷的做 法S不少上訴的案例中被推翻》 是這0緣故°
—間房屋每年的物業稅a是根
Summer is the season for intensive bufUding. Many homeowners use this opportunity to improve, renovate or repair their homes.
But beware? The provincial property tax assessors may be just around the corner. They come around to your house to check how many sinks and cupboards you have installed They assess the value of your home by judging the extra wooden deck you might have put in or the extra layer of paint yon have jus,t applied. Often the decisions of these assessors are arbitrary (as seen in the many appeals that were won against them)• The vork you have done may just be necessary repair and not home improvement. There is no Reason why the value of youri house (and therefore your property fcaxy has to go up 50% to 100% j\ist because of a little bit of work. 、
稅務人員對房屋的評估價値;釐訂》
如果業主不同意被評估的價H直,有 權提出上訴。但不公、平的是;:o上訴 要花不少的時間和金、錢,通;常只有 富有者或受過良好敎育者才i懂得怎 樣去上^ o勞動階層或者年i老的業 主,每^只好照數繳付,ej|能有人 會事辯說,卽使房屋被評估!的價値 大爲提高,物業稅亦未必一一就要 跟着作相對的增加。本文希!望和大 .家討論的問題是:政府把徵;課所得 的物業稅用任什麼地方? i
物業稅有一半是用於市政對民 間的服務$諸如淸倒垃圾、;剷雪及
修補道路等等;其餘的百分五十
Your yearly property tax is determined by your property assessment. , When a house jJias been re-assessed and it.s ovner does not agree with the \ assessment of the value of the house, he or she can appeal. The unfair part of it is tihat an appeal costs time and i^oney f often it is only the rich jor the veil-educated nho kno\^ can afford the appeal. Many working class or senior hotne owners end up paying heavy property ^ax" each year. " j
Even if the value of the house is assessed in a ! substantially higher rate; that doesn't mean the property I tax, needs bp be increased, one may argtie. So vhab exactly dqes the government use the property tax or and how does the money get spent? \
50% of your tax bill goes to municipal services such as garbage pick up, snow removal„ and fixing potholes on the roads- The other 50% goes to
行
o
市便是一髓很好的:例子
那處的選票包括中文和西班牙^:兩 種語言o旣是這樣,爲何多^多:'木
能夠這樣做。 !'
W些人可能^反對這龌建議^認 爲ffi選票上加上額外的語言,^會 令選票變^更複雜。他們會說!: 「 選票沒有空位容納所有文字。卩對
Some will object to this \ \ idea. It could be argued tliat addiag additional languages |to the ballot would make the ; ballot too complicated. °Hov; can we fit so many words and characters on the ballot?" tiiey will say. Having a larger I ballot is the simple answer jto this complaint. Candidates [fbr election already do this on ' their pamphlets durinq the ; campaign. Surely this is由t a serious problem.
Others will say that if w add one language, we vill have to add others. The response: is obvious: if we need other \ \ languages,, let's put them oxi as vel1. j
Still others will argue t|hat the additional languages viljl ; cost more money to ttxncorporate
則用、於地方敎育的經費,卽是5對各 公立小學和中學的維持力有人可能 會說》佳己連一涸小孩子也沒有》 爲什麼要負擔地方敎育的經費^但
照現行的法例,業主要繳交物!業稅 的垒部,不能因窵沒有孩子們1上學 》而獲減收一半》現在只能夠m到 的一點就是》如果閣下的兒女^到 天主敎學校去讀書-則所繳鈉;的物 業稅中就有一部份撥充到天主敎:學 '校局s而不是撥給公立學梭的:敎育
'局O ', - ';;
但、爲什麼物業稅中要有一^那
麼多撥充地方敎育經費?這一 i點是 因爲過去十年來-省敎育部大^創 減對地方敎育經費的補助。十^俞 -》省政府負擔地方敎育經費的^分 之.卅五"但現庄降至只有百分八 。多淪牵敎育局去年支出的經:費達 三千六百萬元-其中的百分之^十
cover the cost of education I (primary and secondary level)1 "What if I do not have children,, must I still Ray the 50% that, goes to education?" One might ask• Every tax payer must puy his dr her full share of ! ^ property tax. t
The only difference is if *. your child-goes to a Catholic school, then a potion of tax goes to the separate school ! \ board, rather than the public? < Board of Education.
But why such a high rate as 50%? Th^it is because in thej 乂 last 10-years t the provincial government (Ministry of Education) has drastically 1 decrease^, its contribution to ;、 education - The province used j to f\ind 35% of the cost of | education 10 years ago. Now it is a merb 8%. The rest-92% of the $36 million spent by the! Toronto Board of Education Vast yeat-came frow your property jL tax,. j ;
This is a grossly unfair :;
、
語言-其他*言也要加在選票上o 假,是有此必要-我們可以把^有
語言列汪選m±》如罕眞的實行』 額外的^言將會增加選票的成本。, 不過》a涸,外成本能夠造福不^j 選民時》實丰是値得的'。此外》爲, 民衆化錢應為政庵最好的投資。三 多淪多市的公民不声被我們抹煞 民主權利,那就是選一涸他們理想 的々選及淸楚明白峩舉的過程,可'.
是這些權利》庄今天的多淪多市卻
被抹煞了。 | 」 、、:;
我希望這^建議能错到支持,這 樣便可說服市議會爲所有公民出錢
出力。 I
into the balpLot。 First, this ; will be a small additional cost that will benefit m^ny ' thousands of residents. Second, spending money on democracy is]probably the best investment that a gvernment can ever make! I ,
No citizen in Toronto should be denied the most basic right of our democracy: Ujie right to be able to vote for the candidate of his or her choice : and to :ful1/understand the election process. These rights are being denied in Toronto today. j
I hope that there will be、 support for this idea so that (j:ity Council can be donvinced ta invest the extra effort and funds on behalf of so many of , its citizens-
二是靠物業歯負擔^ 1 '、'::
這種制度一非赏不公平的-因 物業稅是照^業的價値評估。看^
來相同的兩間屋-卽单一間的桌主 年入七萬元,另一間^業主則是年 老的返休者^用畢生辛苦的齒蓄購
入一間屋,m他們所繳納的物燊稅
是相等的。 ''i
^業稅是一種累減的稅制,不靡 該庄政府的總稅收中佔太高的比例 。物業稅的徵課應該以納^人的入: 息和財產爲釋準,而不應該以^屋
爲基準o
沒有人^譯把敎育的水平降低來、 作爲經濟不S的犧牲品-因爲沒有
敎育$社會就沒有前途o敎育經費
是不可以隨便削減的,問題是省政 府必須用所轉稅等來支付地方敎育, 的經費-而不應該把擔子強加在屋
主以至租客巧肩膊上|0 ',
(system. You1 pay the same amount of property jtax as your very ! rich neighbour if ybur houses : i look similar. Property tax are not calculated according to one's income or wealth; it is;a regressive tax system and should not be depended on heavily. A senior wjio has saved all his or her life to buy a half decent house should not be required to p&y the same ; amount as his or her neighbour .whose net income is $70,000.
Most of, the tax the \ government makes should be based、 on income and wealth, but not houses.
We know we cannot sacrifice our education level -because ^ it,) is our future,. We h^ve to give : funding for education. It 「 deserves the highest priority. The provincial government should , increase its funding) for education through the income tax so the home owners do nc^t need to pass on their cost„to ; the tenants through higher reat.'
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