European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 31, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 2 the stars and stripes Friday March 31,1989 tax rules on car repairs changed re Jef must be sought before work by Crystal Lauveano staff writer Heidelberg West Germany nato forces personnel no longer can apply for West German lax Relief on vehicle repairs after the work has been completed a usar Kur official said. To avoid paying West Germany s 14 percent value added tax customers now must get an estimate of repair costs and receive a Purchase order from their local value added Tan Relief office before work begins said la. Col. Michael Mcclatchey of Usa eur s Community and family support Agency. Previously the West German govern ment allowed foreigners to get Auto re pairs and maintenance before processing an application through a vat Relief of fice. However the German Federal supreme tax court and the Superior finance directorate recently ruled that the practice constituted after the fact Pur chases that Are prohibited under the supplemental agreement to the nato stat us of forces agreement governing value added lax Relief. To comply with the new West German requirements procedures have been developed so a Relief Purchase orders can be processed and daled before car repairs begin. Basic rules have been set by Usa eur. But some details Are still being worked out at Headquarters Mcclatchey said. Safe will use similar procedures he said. To receive tax Relief on automobile repairs individuals must get a written or Oral estimate of repair Cost from the Vendor. Go to the local vat office with the estimate and a description of the work requested for the Purchase order. Take the Purchase order to the re pair shop. Upon completion of repairs. Like a copy of inc Vendor s invoice to the vat Offort and make payment to the office. The office will prepare the final forms and Issue a payment Check. Pay the garage. Automobile repair companies have been informed of the change through West German officials and some have begun requiring a dated Purchase order from customers before accepting vehicles for repair As a condition for granting tax Relief. Others have refused to accept Tat Relief. Participation in hit value added tax Relief program is voluntary for West German companies. Guidelines for implementing the re Vised program arc expected to reach individual vat offices in Early april Mcclatchey said. Until people become familiar with the revised procedures be advised those needing vehicle repairs to Check with their local offices before entering into any agreements with a repair shop. Conference to Mark nato s 40th birthday by Davidter Rait staff writer As nato prepares to Cal Brati its 40th anniversary tuesday its leaders arc to a decade that could prove among the most crucial in its history reforms under Way within the soviet Union ongoing arms talks to reduce the world s largest concentration of conventional weapons and the implications of a United Europe that will eco nomic and military Power arc All Chal Lenges that will face the 16-Mcmher Alli Ance in the years ahead. The Washington based Center for army makes frantic Hunt for housing Schwab Iscil Hall West Germany is military Community officials Ore searching frantically for West German apart ments to House 67 families of soldiers expected to he assigned to Dolan Barracks this Spring. U. Col. Patrick Clark the sch Libisch Hall commander said the Community Tost Access to 72 apartments last year when . Army units moved out of the area. Now two units consisting of 260 soldiers and several do in. Family members arc preparing to move in and the old apartments no longer arc available Clark said. An Advance party from the 101st Ord big now located at Badin Crof Cavern in Heilbronn. Plans to arrive at Dolan this weekend to prepare for the company s move there in May. Additionally the 75th general Supply co at William o. Darby Ca sern moving to the bar Racks this Spring and plans to Send an Advance group in late april a company spokeswoman said. The new units should boost the military Community s population 10 slightly More than the 750 soldiers and 850 family members1 it had be fore the moves last year Clark said. Correction a headline yesterday on an article about improvements to harm a West Germany was incorrect. The quote that the headline was taken from referred to one dormitory not the entire base. Strategic and International studies will inaugurate nato s birthday Celebration with a three a seminar Starling Friday in Brussels Belgium where the Alliance has its Headquarters. The conference will bring together More than Iso policy makers government officials and Corn participants Are expected to include sen. Sam Nunn d-ga., chairman of the Senate armed services committee for Mer Secretary of state Henry Kissinger James Schlesinger. Head of the defense and Energy departments in the 1970s and nato Sec rotary Gen Crul Manfred Wornor. The Center held similar conferences on nato s 30th and 35lh anniversaries in 1979 and 1984. Historic changes in the postwar at lactic relationship have attn been Trig gered from outside said Center spokes Man a Jon von Dracca in a statement. President Mikhail Gorbachev s soviet Union is presenting us with enigmas opportunities challenges and dangers which arc new in addition to looking at the Impact of soviet reforms the conference will focus on the political military and economic aspects of Western Security. No Longe can they be considered separately von Drack said. Now they must be brought the conference whose hosts also in clude the Center for. European studies and the belgian government will take place at the palais u leg Nibel Kissinger is expected to address the group during a working lunch saturday. Werner and Schlesinger also Are scheduled to address the conference that Day . Takeover of Oil cleanup rejected Valdez Alaska a president Bush has decided that the Federal government won t take Over cleanup of the nation s worst Ever Oil spill. Unit it will watch the cleanup closely be cause of the Slick s enormous potential for damage to the environment the Soo Square Milc Slick continued to spread by the Vitorts of 444 personnel from the coast guard and other agencies and do ens of fishermen backed by three coast guard helicopters two Cullers 33 contract vessels five tugboats and 3 dozen skimmers. Only 6,000 barrels of the 240,000 barrels that spilled from an Exxon Tanker on March 24 have been recovered officials said. At the White House transportation Secretary Samuel Skinner environmental Protection Agency administrator William a cilia and coast guard com mandant Paul Yost rep Ohad their first hand observations to Bush. Hush decided against a Federal Takov. Or of the cleanup Reilly said this is obviously a disaster of enormous potential magnitude on the the habitats of sea otters and sea Lions Are Likely to be hard est hit and the government also will Monitor Salmon and herring in Prince William sound where the disaster occurred he said. Exxon whose 987-foot Tanker Exxon Valdez struck a reef 25 Miles from port Valdez is doing a very craftsman like Job with the cleanup Yost said. Skinner said lie response could have been quicker and most of Lite damage was done in inc first few hours Yost defended coast guard radar operators who failed to spot and warn the Tanker saying it was not in a treacherous or narrow area. He said the coast guard will look into the License of the Tanker s Captain. A daily newspaper covering shipping re ported thursday that the Captain failed to disclose in his last License application that he had been convicted of dam Ken driving twice in the previous five years. Of the 1,2 million barrels of crude Oil the Tancer was carry info. Exxon Laid about 480,000 were transferred to another Tanker which left for Hawaii thursday. Of cos mane Vered another vessel to Lake the remainder of the Oil from the grounded ship. The operation is expected to take until saturday mayor John Devens has estimated the loss to the fishing Industry at $ 150 million in another development William Woody chief of the four member National transportation safety Board team assigned to the disaster said a coast guard officer told investigators that he Small cd alcohol on Hazelw Nix s breath a few hours after the ship ran aground. But the guardsman and a Harbor Pilot agreed appeared competent Woody said Exxon officials said i la Wilwood Wasj not on he Bridge when. The Accident occurred n half mile outside shipping lanes third mate gregory1 cousins who the coast guard says lacked proper certification was giving the orders. ,. German Post phone costs to increase Frankfurt West Germany Sis the Cost of mailing a Leuci m West Germany will jump by As much As 25 percent saturday a spokesman for the Federal postal system said. The Bunde Spost Price hike will push the Cost of mailing a letter within Ger Many and to All Western european coun tries and a few others from so pfennig to 1 Mark,1 or from about 43 cents 10 54 cent. Posting a Teller to Alj other coun tries also jumps 20 pfennig from 1.20 to 1.40 Marks 65 cents to 75 cents. Mailing a Post card within Germany and most european countries will re main at 60 pfennig but sending a Post card to other foreign destinations will increase from 70 pfennig to 80 pfennig. Calls from pay telephones will Cost More for the first unit beginning sat urday. Initial unit charges will be 30 pfennig instead of the current 23 pfennig. Subsequent units already Cost 30 pfennig. A unit is based on the distance called. A unit for a local Call can be As Long As 12 minutes at night. A daytime Long distance unit lasts is seconds. The Price for mailing Small packages weighing up to 1 kilograms also will go up from 3 Marks to 3.50 Marks $1.61 Tosi so on saturday. The Rales for mailing larger packages Wilt go up sept. I it then will Cost 5.20 Marks s2.79 instead of 4.40 Marks $2.37 to mail packages weighing up to 5 kilograms for a distance up to 150 Kilometres within West Germany charges increase based on weigh and the distance to be mailed Oul of country destinations Cost More. Further details can be obtained from a 12-Pagepamphlet of charges called a being distributed by All German Post offices. Paraplegic Veteran Dies Atlanta a Clark Harrison a paraplegic who survived a plane crash in Greenland last summer while dying Soto to West Germany to Visil the worm War ii Battlefield where he was paralysed died tuesday of respiratory failure Al age 64,
