European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 16, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 2 the stars and stripes Friday August 16, 1991 at a glance the Patriot missile the Star of the persian Gulf War might have averted its most costly failure if its operators had Given it a periodic rest army documents show. See Story on Page 5. Murder cases tracked investigators across the nation Are combing through unsolved murder cases to determine whether a confessed murderer from Texas is telling the truth about killing More than 60 people. A Pago 4 transit troubles mass transit systems around the country have Cut service and raised feres to keep on rolling amid Sharp budget cuts and falling ridership. A Page 6 unsanitary plants processing plants infested with rodents and insects May be sending contaminated butter cheese and other Dairy products to the nation s dinner tables agriculture department investigators said. A Page 7 Hacker to stand trial an australian court has ordered a 20-year-old computer Hacker to stand trial on charges of breaking into . Nuclear research and Nasa computer systems. A Page b Long distance landlords service members in Europe who have been unable to sell their stateside houses take several approaches to renting out the properties Long distance. A Page 17index Abby Ann Landers a 19 comics. 19-21 commentary.13 letters. 12 Money matters a. 17 sports.22-28 to listings .27 weather.11 care from Paget each of the five categories. Those prices do not mean that additional or special care for children is available at a higher Price. But the higher rates offer centers a greater financial base to draw upon if they need to pay higher wages to compete for employees in Ike local labor Market Man child care fees the new weekly fee rates will take effect no later than oct. 1. The first rates listed Are regular fees. The second Are the so called optional High Cost rates that some bases will charge if the care centers must pay higher wages to compete for workers in local labor markets. Up to $27,000 fee rang $31 -$41 $42,001 to $59,000 regular fees income of up to $11,000 $31 -$39 $46 �?$57 $27,001 to $40,000 �?�kvjw1 $55,001 and More installation or base commanders set the fees within the ranges provided. To charge the optional nigh Cost fees commanders must prove that the higher fees Are necessary Mcintosh said. He noted that very few if any Safe centers should need to exercise that option. Besides making child care More affordable for lower in come patrons the military child care act was designed to improve the Quality of Day care and to increase salaries Ana offer educational training for the child care assistants. The child care work Force typically has had High turnover due in part to  for demanding work child care experts have argued. Entry level pay before june 1,1990, was $4.64 per hour. Salaries for caregivers now Range from $5.93 to $10.58. But the increase in wages and a decrease of incoming fees has led to red Ink on Many of the Ledger sheets of a Safe a child development centers. A lot of them Are losing Money right now a Mcintosh said. He estimates that Only 10 of the commands 25 centers Quot May break even or make a profit this  before the act took effect More broke even or ran in the Black no numbers on Thi Hesako. One reason the new fees Quot made it harder 10 break even is that 52 percent of a Safe patrons saw at least a $12 reduction per child in their weekly child care Bill Mcintosh said. Centers at Span Dahlem a Germany and Raf Milden halt England Are among those losing Money. Quot i was ahead until i started paying the increased payroll. We started taking a nose dive As soon As we started paying the new payroll Quot said Virginia Green director of Spang Dahlem Scenter a in june 1990, her books showed she was $11,000 in the Black. The Center ended fiscal 1990 in the red and Green projects the Center will lose More than $40,000 by sept. 30, the end of fiscal 1991. But Green said that according to Quot report cards on the financial status of All Safe centers a a we re on the Low end of the  the loss at Mildenhall Scenter is even greater. Director Pat Edwards said she is currently facing a $55,000. Loss and she expects the Center to end fiscal 1991 with a $70,000 deficit. She is already budgeting for a $40,000 loss for fiscal 1992. A Center s deficit is picked up by the bases Central mar fund. A none of the Central mar funds Are going to go broke but its a Drain on them a said Mcintosh. Patron fees Are considered non appropriated funds. In addition to paying the assistants those Fonas can also cover some food and Supply expenses. The centers also receive appropriated Fonds to cover other operating expenses and some salaries such As those of the director and training and curriculum  other positions such As desk clerks will be converting from non appropriated funds to appropriated funds by oct. 1 As Well Mcintosh said. Also according to Green one of every six caregiver positions in a Center can pull its salary from appropriated Fonds under the child care act. Reducing the payroll demands on the non appropriated Fonds will Nelp lower a centers deficit agreed Mcintosh and Green. Quot if we have the right number of appropriated fund positions we can break even with a sliding scale fee and payroll expense a said Green. Quot i really believe it will work when a the appropriated fond positions Are in  a a according to a spokesman for the Navy in Europe a Veurn a 13 centers have not been running in the red. Safe centers can put the revised fees into effect before oct. 1. Nav eur centers will begin charging the new fee Structure on oct. 1, according to command officials. Usa eur did not respond by press deadline to questions about when new rates will be put into effect at its centers and about its centers financial status. $70 -$81 we amp a optional High Cost $34 $43 $49-$61 $75-$86 ass Susan Harris from Page 1 Case the irs lost the court Case Drews said. Because the consent forms Are filed with local payroll offices Drews could not say what percentage of overseas employees have signed them. Other employees have filed claims on their own behalf Over the years. The Pentagon first announced in 1989 that it would gather the consent forms covering employees As far Back As 1986 As a precautionary move. Defense officials later extended that Blanket refund policy to cover tax years 1990 and 1991. Employees who declined to sign consent forms Are on their own to seek refund claims from the irs Drews said. Such claims can be filed retroactively As far Back As three years. Defense finance officials also face the arduous task of trying to track Down an unknown number of employees who have left Federal service while the Case has wound through the courts. At Issue in the court proceeding was whether overseas allowances could be considered wages for tax purposes. The court ruling essentially says they Are not because they Are meant to be a reimbursements for additional expenses incurred because of the employees jobs rather than direct compensation. Congress had Long exempted overseas allowances from taxation for that very reason. But when lawmakers imposed social Security and medicare taxes on Federal employees in 1984, the new Laws did not specify How the allowances were to be treated for those taxes. The Navy began withholding taxes on the allowances in Early 1985, based on the services interpretation of the new social Security Laws. When employees complained the Navy sought an opinion from the irs. In March 1986, the Revenue service issued an opinion that said such taxation was proper. The overseas education association then decided to test the taxation policy and hired him to sue the government on behalf of 18 department of defense dependents schools teachers in Bermuda. In october 1986, the Pentagon general counsel directed the other services to begin taxing the allowances. Despite internal opposition the withholding began in the air Force in january 198/ Ana in the army in january 1988. A we told Dod they were foolish to extend the withholding to the army and air Force while the Case was in litigation a him said. Quot we told them they a have to administer the Mother of All re fond programs if the irs lost and Here it  the state department which handles payroll for All overseas Federal civilians outside the defense department consistently resisted irs efforts to implement the withholding policy. That meant irs employees working overseas never had to suffer the same tax bite on their overseas allowances As defense department  from Page 1 de Cuellar said a perhaps Days or weeks i done to know. It depends on now quickly i have a reaction from both  he added however that four Days of intensive diplomacy in Geneva left him a More optimistic than  a i have a very Clear idea what the israelis want what the Western countries want what the captors want a said Perez de Cuellar who headed thursday for a round of private visits in Europe. He said he would stay in Europe so he could quickly return to Geneva if necessary. In Syria meanwhile a government newspaper accused Israel of blocking efforts to find common ground for an Exchange of hostages and Arab prisoners. Syria has been a broker in previous Western hostage releases a Israel adheres fast to its policy of Man Euver and procrastination a the daily Tishri said. Perez de Cuellar said wednesday that negotiations would now a enter a phase in which we Are going to continue our efforts in a much quieter  Lubiani said contacts Quot will continue and we a do it on a lower profile. This very painful and intricate problem cannot be solved through the  after the talks pm rez de Cuellar telephoned Iran a . Envoy Kamal Khz inv i at the israelis request to Tell him about their a a very firm position a Iran is a key player in the hostage crisis because the westerners including five americans Are held by pro iranian shiite Muslim groups