European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 29, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday december 29, 1992 Money matters the stars and stripes Page 17today�?Ts rates following Are fixed rates at which Community banking and credit Union facilities will sell foreign currencies to . Personnel for personal use German mark.1.56 British Pound.1.57 dutch guilder.1.75 greek drachma .204.6091 note the rates above apply within the Host country. Figures Are expressed in dollars to the British Pound other currencies to the Dollar following Are Interbank rates that fluctuate and should be regarded As the approximate value of the . Dollar to foreign currencies italian lira .1,433.50 turkish lira .8,478.80 Spanish peseta.113.43 portuguese escudo.144.35 austrian schilling.11.2675 saudi rial.3.7495 Bahrain dinar.0.37675 Kuwait Dinar .0.29980 norwegian krone.6.8045 danish krone.6.1645 British Pound.1.5222 German mark.1.6000 Swiss franc .1.4475 French franc.5.4540 dutch Guilder a belgian franc.32.88 Canadian Dollar. 1.2625 note figures Are expressed in dollars to the British Pound other currencies to the Dollar Gold quote $333.10 an ounce Silver quote $3.70 an ounce Alaska wins Magazine ranking of states with Low tax Burden Northwest cuts in fares extended Eagan Minn. A Northwest airlines is extending Sale fares for travel Between the United states and 11 european destinations by reducing rates As much As 43 percent. The fares extended saturday Are available for Purchase through March 15 for travel from Jan. 8 through March 31, the airline said. They were previously set to expire thursday. The fares Are nonrefundable require a saturday night stay at the destination and must be purchased at least 14 Days before travel. For example passengers can Fly round trip Between Boston and Paris for $398, a 36 percent savings off the Normal fare of $622. Travel Between Minneapolis St. Paul and London is As Little As $448, 43 percent off the Normal fare of $788. Northwest serves London Paris Frankfurt Germany Amsterdam Netherlands and Glasgow Scotland nonstop from the United states. The fares also Are available to Copenhagen Denmark Geneva Munich Germany Oslo Norway Stockholm Sweden and Zurich Switzerland through Northwest a marketing relationship with Kim Royal dutch airlines. New York a you can to escape death or taxes the adage goes. But Alaska residents come closest to disproving the taxes part. Alaskans done to pay state levies on income sales or inheritance so they enjoy the lowest taxes of any state Money Magazine says in its annual state tax ranking. New yorkers pay the most. The listing appears in the january Issue which went on Sale monday. The ranking compares taxes in the 50 states and the District of Columbia on a typical two income family of four that subscribes to Money. That family earned $72,385 in 1992, plus $4,709 in interest dividends and capital gains and had $35,112 in expenses. Alaska with no earned income statewide sales or inheritance taxes would charge that household Only $1,632 a year the lowest in the country. Most of that is property taxes. Alaska where most tax Revenue comes from the Oil and Gas Industry is one of seven states with no major tax increases expected in 1993 or 1994, Money said. After Alaska Wyoming would charge the typical Money Magazine household $2,945, Nevada $3,539, Florida $3,846 and Tennessee $4,038 for the same family Money said. In addition to the five most affordable tax states the next four also do not charge any personal income tax South Dakota new Hampshire Texas and Washington. On the other end of the tax spectrum new York which has the nations highest combined state and local sales tax of 8.5 percent would Levy a total of $10,016 for the same family. New York is one of 13 states where taxes Are almost certain to Rise in the next two years Money said. Following new York is the District of Llull tax ranking states and the District of Columbia Are ranked from lowest to highest in taxing residents based on a two income family of four that earned $77,094 in 1992. 1. Alaska $1,632 2. Wyoming $2,945 3. Nevada $3,539 4. Florida $3,846 5. Tennessee $4,038 6. South Dakota $4,284 7. New Hampshire $4,591 8. Texas $4,647 9. Washington $4,694 10. North Dakota $5,292 11. Delaware $5,354 12. Alabama $5,552 13. Louisiana $5,752 14. Mississippi $5,792 15. New Mexico $5,948 16. West Virginia $5,981 17. Missouri $6,047 18. South Carolina $6,531 19. Arizona $6,637 20. Indiana $6,721 21. Kentucky $6,744 22. Montana $6,781 23. Oklahoma $6,907 24. Kansas $6,935 25. Pennsylvania $6,969 26. Iowa $7,006 27. Arkansas $7,074 28. Illinois $7,125 29. Virginia. $7,217 30. North Carolina $7,263 31. Colorado $7,268 32. Georgia $7,301 33. New Jersey $7,371 34. Michigan $7,493 35. California $7,605 36. Idaho $7,634 37. Nebraska $7,728 38. Ohio $7,751 39. Utah $7,892 40. Vermont $7,962 41. Hawaii $8,272 42. Minnesota $8,311 43. Rhode Island $8,314 44. Connecticut $8,349 45. Oregon $8,390 46. Maryland $8,568 47. Maine $8,611 48. Massachusetts $8,764 49. Wisconsin $8,770 50. District of Columbia $9,348 51. New York $10,016 Columbia at $9,348, icon Wisconsin at $8,770. Massachusetts comes next with an $8,764 tax Bill followed by Maine at $8,611. All state income tax estimates were provided by the state and local tax group at Ernst amp Young the accounting and management consulting firm. Money received property tax information from citizens for tax Justice a Washington based research and advocacy group. Money used sales tax information from Vertex systems inc., a sales tax reporting service based in Berwyn a. In a separate study Money found that homeowners on Long Island in the suburbs of new York City pay the nations highest property taxes nearly 15 times As much As homeowners in Baton Rouge la., the lowest taxed. Money compares nationwide property taxes on four bedroom 2,600-Square-foot Sas houses located in neighbourhoods where families typically have incomes of about $75,000, roughly the median for the magazines subscribers. On such a Home Long Island charges $8,050 on average Pittsburgh $7,065 and Syracuse n.y., $6,523, the highest levies on the list. By contrast Baton Rouge charges $538 Mobile ala., $602 and Knoxville tenn., $971. If the tax is measured As a percentage of a Homes value residents of Syracuse pay 3.66 percent and residents of Pittsburgh pay 3.33 percent the most nationally. Owners of similar Homes in Baton Rouge pay 0.39 percent. Runzheimer International a Rochester wis., consulting firm specializing in Cost of living analyses determined for Money the taxes paid in 1992 on that Type of Home in the 100 biggest . Metropolitan areas. Chrysler pm push electric car work Detroit up Chrysler corp. And general motors corp. Are racing to develop devices that can recharge an electric cards batteries in minutes which would be a major step toward putting electric vehicles on the Road. Chrysler plans this week to unveil its Quick charge system which it developed with a Canadian supplier. The device can recharge a Battery pack in about 25 minutes and would be Mobile the Detroit news said sunday. That would allow it to be used for Roadside emergency assistance to electric cars with dead batteries. Company spokesman Jason vines confirmed that Chrysler plans an announcement in los Angeles on electric vehicles but gave no details. Meanwhile Hughes Power control systems a pm subsidiary in los Angeles is developing a device that can recharge an electric cards batteries in about 15 minutes. Both companies plan to have prototypes ready for testing by the Middle of next year. Foreign and . Automakers Are struggling to produce viable electric vehicle systems to meet a 1998 California clean air deadline. Beginning that year 2 percent of All vehicles sold in the state must not produce emissions. The big three automakers have formed consortium to develop batteries and produce parts for electric vehicles. They plan to put test fleets on the Road next year. The most efficient electric vehicles have a maximum Range of about 120 Miles. Marketing surveys show motorists want the flexibility to make longer  station drops music for help wanted ads Baltimore apr radio listeners done to tune in whip to hear the latest Rock or heavy Metal tunes but rather the latest masonry or Metal jobs along with openings for dental hygienists landscapes and chemists. The am station began broadcasting help wanted ads this month abandoning its Black oriented oldies format and old Call letters. M a Welcome Back to whip. Job time 11 34, says an  a firm in Sparks md., has an opening for a Rodman on their Survey team. I have no idea what a Rodman is but someone out there  later a recorded advertisement asks Are you a travel agent with at least two years experience. The stations announcers spice up advertisements the chitchat and wrap it around other taped spots promos and Short programs dealing with topics like How to dress for an interview prepare a resume or Start a business. Tom Dore who is overseeing whip for Western Star broadcasting of Chicago said he Hopes the station will grab 3 percent to 5 percent of the audience. There Are about 3.5 million listeners in the Baltimore Washington area. Western Star a which holds the rights to the format but does no town the station a plans to have the format running in 12 other markets by february and Hopes to be in 25 to 30 major markets by the end of 1993, said Bruce Roberts a project manager for Western Star. Last Spring in its old format whip Drew a 0.3 percent share Well below Wal radio an All news am station that consistently is among the Market leaders with an 8 percent share according to radio business reports a Washington Magazine that covers the radio Industry. Tom Moon who Heads Tom evaluations a ratings analysis firm in nearby Silver Spring said its unlikely whip will surpass Wal but it could find a comfortable Niche. A i think its an extremely creative use of am radio which most people Are ignoring a Moon said. Who pm a help wanted format is believed to be the Only one in the nation. An All classified and format lasted six months in los Angeles in the 1960s, but that format advertised various items not specifically jobs Moon said. A station near a Georgia interstate switched last year to an All commercial format for rest stops filling stations motels and other businesses along the Highway