European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 15, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 8 a a a the stars and stripes sunday april 15,1990 planned Canadian sales tax stirring up storm of protest by the Washington Post Toronto a a growing revolt against a 7 percent Federal sales tax scheduled to Start next january is Likely to swell into a tidal wave of dissent during nationwide hearings planned by the Senate say opponents of the measure. While conceding that they face an Uphill Battle against the so called goods and services tax opposition leaders predicted that the debate will galvanize resistance and further erode support for the progressive conservative party government of prime minister Brian Mulroney. His approval rating in the polls has already dropped to a Low of 17 percent. A the people Are going to express themselves. The government will have no alternative but to do something about this tax a said Anthony Clarke chairman of the Ottawa based pro Canada network a coalition of opposition groups that has led the Battle. The appointed and mostly powerless Senate dominated by the opposition Liberal party is unlikely to reverse tuesdays approval of the tax by the House of commons in parliament. But the Senate could drag its hearings out into the fall and kill any Chance of the government implementing the measure on schedule. The Senate a course is unclear however because of a parallel National debate Over proposed constitutional reforms to make the upper chamber operate More democratically. Already canadians have been uncharacteristically militant about the new Federal tax which will be paid by Consumers on virtually All goods and services except Basic groceries and most medical care. Existing sales taxes vary in Canadas 10 provinces with Alberta imposing none and Ontario and Newfoundland charging 8 percent and 10 percent respectively. Canadians already Are taxed much More heavily than americans often paying a third or More of their wages in income taxes. However they receive Many More social benefits than . Taxpayers. In recent weeks angry canadians have signed 2.1 million ballots against the tax and sent them to parliament. They have also demonstrated in the Street disrupted a session of the House of commons booed Mulroney As he attended a Toronto Blue jays baseball game with president Bush and held protest rallies in cities across the country pledging to a a Bury Mulroney a party in the next election if the tax goes into effect Jan. 1. Ottawa expects to raise $18.5 billion next year from the tax. Clarke the Leader of the opposition coalition said alternatives could include higher taxes for corporations elimination of loopholes the imposition of luxury sales taxes and a general restructuring of Federal fiscal policies. Mulroney and his finance minister Michael Wilson maintain that the tax will make the Economy More competitive and will not Hurt lower income canadians As its critics allege. Opponents of the measure stress that they Are not against paying taxes but Are merely seeking a More equitable system of raising Revenue. World today japanese firm to buy exclusive dutch hotel the Hague Netherlands a _ the Dosh hotel Des Indes this International City a fort most Symbol of High class dutch hotel accommodations is being sold to a japanese led conglomerate general manager Bernard Felix halt confirmed. I Purchase of the intimate 77-room hotel where for More than a Century emperors Kines and presidents have passed the night has tentatively been agreed upon by Saison overseas b.v., a dutch based holding company whose majority share is owned by the Saison group of Tokyo. Saison owner of the inter Continental hotel Chain is expected to pay 37.5 million guilders a 9-7 million for the property now owned by Bass pc of Britain according to a statement released by  London tavern damaged by Blaze London apr a fire accidentally started by a cigarette badly damaged be olde cock one of London a most famous taverns police said. Police said that two people and two dogs trapped on the fifth floor of the building were brought Down a ladder safely As the Blaze spread through the basement first and second floors of the pub on Fleet Street which used to be London a newspaper Row. Colombian court ruling could doom drug War Chai Ling with her husband Feng con de answers questions at a Paris hotel  chinese activist urges sanctions by West Paris up a Chai Ling a Leader of the pro democracy movement that was crushed in Beijing a Tiana men Square last june reappeared in Paris Over the weekend and called on Western nations to adopt tougher sanctions against the chinese government. In an interview with several journalists Chai who was accompanied by her husband Feng con de said she arrived in France two weeks ago after spending 10 months in the underground trying to escape China. The former psychology student who turns 24 sunday Heads the list of 21 dissidents sought by the chinese government for trial As criminals. Chai said it is impossible to know How Many people were killed in Tiana men the night of june 3, when the chinese army swept into the area arresting and killing demonstrators who had taken Over the Square. A no Sanction against the government of i Peng the chinese prime minister can be exaggerated whether it be economic political or of another nature a Chai said. A but the sanctions should be accompanied by campaigns to inform the  she praised the sending a ship christened a goddess of democracy to beam radio broadcasts to All of China. The sponsors say the ship equipped with sophisticated electronic broadcasting equipment could reach 1 billion chinese with its radio programs. The ship set sail from the French port of la Rochelle on March 17, with a number of chinese dissidents on Board. Bogota Colombia apr a supreme court decision Means Colombia will have to return most if not All of the property seized from drug traffickers dealing a grave blow to the anti drug Campaign a senior official says. Judges have already returned 33 of the 430 farms houses and other properties a Worth at least $23 million a that were confiscated by presidential decree the official said last week. He spoke on condition of anonymity. The supreme court ruling late last year overturned the presidential decree. The official s comments indicated that the government now realizes How devastating the courts decision was. A i think this May mean the War against traffickers is lost a he said. Some judges have taken bribes from alleged traffickers who want their farms Back and a those judges who resist will almost certainly be killed a the official said. The governments 8-month-old War on drugs started when the leading presidential candidate was slain by traffickers. The government began confiscating properties and extraditing drug Barons to the United states for trial. At the same time traffickers launched a counteroffensive that has left 200 people dead. President Virgilio Barco Vargas order to seize properties of suspected traffickers was one of his main weapons against drugs. According to his decree a Federal court was to determine the final status of the properties. Owners were to present themselves before the court and prove they had no ties to drug trafficking in order to recover their possessions. In its 1989 ruling however the supreme court shifted the Burden of proof to the administration saying that no property can be permanently seized unless the owner has been found guilty of a crime. Many of the owners Are charged but have not been convicted. Traffickers have traditionally bribed or intimidated colombian judges. Since August 15 people have been extradited but authorities have not captured Many of the top suspected Traffick ers including reputed Medellin Cartel Leader Pablo Escobar. That drug Cartel is considered among the main groups smuggling cocaine into the United states. A Pablo Escobar has not yet been found guilty of any crime. Legally he has a right to his properties a the senior government official said. The official accused Barco of lacking 1�?~those judges who resist will almost certainly be  a senior official foresight in his handling of the anti drug Campaign. A before the supreme court decision i told president Barco that we should target the 50 farms that we knew belonged to Pablo Escobar a he said. The seized farms could provide land for 20,000 peasant families if the state could carry out a program to redistribute the property he said. But he called such a program virtually impossible. A the Only Way for the government to maintain control of these properties is through new legislation a he said. Any Law he added would have to be passed by Congress which is controlled by drug traffickers. His comments thursday came a Day after a car bomb exploded in the coca id trafficking Center of Medellin killing people including eight members of elite police anti drug squad. Drug t a fickers have been killing Medellin to officers in retaliation for the drug c d Anonymous callers to ,a02 Medellin said the Cartel came wednesdays attack in retaliation for t torture and murders of traffickers y p i the government has denied the accuse authorities say the drug or a a. Feed to pay $4,300 % Glen cer killed in the City of 2 million Bias second largest