European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 15, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday january 15, 1993 the stars and stripes Page 3 to racism Bonn Germany apr a prominent american jewish Leader says germans have not. Learned the lessons of the holocaust but his organization is willing to help change that. Abraham a Foxman National director of the anti defamation league of by Nai by Rith met with Chancellor Helmut Kohl on wednesday to discuss Radical right attacks in Germany seventeen people died last year in More than 2,100 Neo nazi attacks mostly against foreigners. The militants have also desecrated jewish cemeteries. The league proposed to Kohl that an anti hate program run by the organization be tried out in Rostock the Eastern German City where the wave of violence started aug. 22. In a statement Kohl said he had encouraged the group to go ahead with the program. Members of the organization plan to travel to Rostock to Lay the groundwork for it. Under the leagues program teachers police officers employers and others Are Given sensitivity training aimed at reducing racism. The project has been implemented in 20 . Cities. Foxman said his group is pleased that the government is finally cracking Down. Quot we walk away with a sense of Comfort As to the response that we see now Quot said Foxman referring to the Banning of four Neo nazi groups and a general police crackdown on violent militants. But Foxman said he worries that German efforts to combat racism and anti semitism might be Only Short term. Quot tolerance is a daily undertaking Quot that must be taught in schools and practice at the workplace Foxman said. . Retirees in hit by customs tax hike they pay it for goods sold on . Bases by Steve scholar Kaiserslautern Bureau Kaiserslautern Germany retired . Service members their spouses and the surviving spouses of dead military retirees living in Germany saw the Flat rate customs tax jump from 15 percent to 20 percent Jan. 1. The tax applies to purchases in military shopping facilities and is levied on people not covered under the German american status of forces agreement. Imported goods sold on the German Economy have the customs tax included in their Price. Hans Jurgen Venzke a customs clearance office supervisor in Kaiserslautern said the increase is a result it seems every time a Retiree tries to get ahead financially it gets More  our Force Retiree Paul t. Hacker dutch army sending playboys to peacekeeping soldiers the Hague Netherlands a. A the dutch army is sending a free Playboy Magazine to each of its soldiers in the . Yugoslav peacekeeping Force officials said thursday. The 1,100 issues were donated by the dutch edition of Chicago based Playboy Magazine but have been sent to the forces by the army a recreation and development office in the Hague. It. Col. Paul Hartman the army a chief spokesman acknowledged that some of the men and women in uniform May be offended by the photographs of nude women. But he said it is a matter of Quot personal choices whether a Soldier accepts the gift. A a we re Only distributing the Magazine. Nobody has to read it. ,. A a a a i Pir Masens comm by Steve scholar Kaiserslautern Bureau Pir Masens Germany a a budget crunch and the stocking of fewer items in the Pir Masens commissary Are among the military draw Down a effects on the american Community Here officials told More than 150 Pir Masens residents tuesday night. It col. Joseph Huber 294th base support in commander opened a town meeting by telling the audience that budgetary constraints Are forcing Cavern officials to justify every Penny they spend. A the funds picture is pretty bad. Everything is under scrutiny. There just Isnit enough Money to go around Quot Huber said. Despite the Money squeeze Huber said the Pir Masens Community had been relatively successful in getting funds for some projects. As an example Huber cited a Chapel modernization program that was just completed at a Cost of More than $184,000. Quot we were glad to get that one through a Huber said among the subjects discussed a the commissary has increased its evening shopping hours. However it will not of amp Rry As Many items because of decreased sales said commissary manager Larry Pricco but we will work to meet customer needs Quot he said. The commissary remains open until 7 . Four of european unification and an increased contribution to european economic Community projects. More than 8,200 retired military members lived in Germany As of sept. 30,1992, according to the department of defense. Numbers of spouses were not available. In addition to the customs tax increase Germany a value added tax increased from 14 percent to 15 per cent Jan. 1. Vat is paid by anyone buying goods or services on the German Economy and is different from the customs tax which Only covers goods imported to Germany. The decision to raise both taxes was made by the German finance ministry in Bonn. Part of the increased Flat tax rate will help fund european unification and pay for Road building and building renovations. A the Flat tax covers dutiable goods brought in from other countries Quot Venzke said. A that includes goods bought in military shopping facilities by retirees and others not covered by the sofa. Everyone that Falls into these categories and shops at military facilities must pay a customs tax on their  those paying taxes on purchases can use a complicated customs tax that fluctuates among items or the Flat rate of 20 percent. Those who opt for the customs tax Over the Flat rate can pay up to 25 percent Venzke said. Most of the 330 americans registered at the kaisers Lautem customs office choose the Flat rate Venzke said. A a it a quicker for a person coming into the office and they usually pay less in tax by using the Flat rate system Quot he said. New retirees and others no longer covered by the sofa who want to remain in Germany and shop in military facilities must Register with a local customs office. They will be Given a customs certificate to detail purchases that require customs payment. Thereafter they report by the fifth of each month with receipts to pay any taxes due. Reporting of purchases normally is done on a Honor system Venzke said that relies on the person paying the tax to report on what was bought during the months however Venzke also said the customs office has an investigatory Branch that spots irregularities by among other methods watching people shop at military facile tics and waiting to see whether the purchases arc  air Force Retiree Paul t. Hacker said the Flat tax rate increase will cause him to buy fewer items at exchanges and commissaries. Quot it seems every time a Retiree tries to get ahead financially it gets More difficult Quot Hacker said. A the to crease will Force Many retirees to shop off base where Many prices arc comparable to the Exchange and  retirees received a 3 percent Cost of living increase Jan. 1 in military benefits but Hacker said the tax increase will take More of that Money. A things like televisions May still be a bargain even after paying the increased tax Quot he said. A but the tax will make everyday things like groceries cheaper on the  Hacker also said the increase in the Flat rate customs tax May tempt some retirees to consider under reporting their monthly Exchange and commissary purchases to avoid paying the higher tax. Turkish raid on kurdish rebels kills 35 Diyarbakir Turkey apr turkish warplanes bombed kurdish rebel Camps in the Southeast thursday killing at least 35 guerrillas the sem official Anatolia news Agency reported. The strikes were apparently in retaliation for stepped up assaults by guerrillas of the Kurdistan workers party pkg who reportedly crossed into Turkey from a base in Northern Iraq. Turkish planes attacked Camps in scrip Audi and Gabar the report said. Last fall turkish troops conducted a monthlong incursion in Northern Iraq where thousands of pkg rebels were based. Nights a week is open saturday from 9 . To 5 . And is closed monday and tuesday. A its unlikely that Parma sense Post Exchange will resume operating on sundays said Jeff Yates area general manager for the army and air Force Exchange service. The announcement brought one Young sergeant in the audience to his feet. The sergeant accused Yates of trying to inflate sunday sales at Vogel Weh and Ramstein exchanges at the expense of Pir Masens. Quot nothing could be further from the truth. The decision to eliminate sunday hours was driven by sales. There weren to enough sales to warrant keeping the store open a Yates said. One reason sunday hours were eliminated was that the Exchange routinely lost More than $4,000 every sunday it operated Huber added. To Money squeeze a night patrols around the Cavern and housing area have increased because More military police have been freed from Gate guard duty during the Day said capt. John w. Gehrlein Huste Rebh Provost marshal. A a it a a Good thing for the Community Quot Gehrlein said. Crime trends he noted indicate less crime takes place during the Day. A the Miinch Weiler clinic will close Friday resulting in added travel tire and inconvenience to obtain medical treatment at Lan Stuhl regional army medical clinic a 30-minute drive from Pir Masens. Pir Masens residents will be treated in a separate clinic dubbed the 5th general dispensary which will be located within Laroc said or. Capt David Sproat the clinics commander. The clinic will open at 7 a a Jan. 19 to serve members of the Pir Masens Zwic Briick in and Miessau military communities. Bus service has been arranged to ferry patients and soldiers going to sick Call for the round trip Between Huster Hoh and Lan Stuhl. Quot even though we re co located with Laroc this will still be your clinic Quot Sproat told the town meeting attendees. Pir Masens holds town meetings several times a year to give residents updates on areas that affect their lives