European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 05, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                V Page 12 the stars and stripes Money matters Friday february 5,1993 today s rates a following arc fixed rates a which Community banking and credit Union facilities will sell for eign currencies to . Personnel for personal use German Mark 1.61british Pound. 1.47 dutch Guilder 1.81 greek drachma .213.8461 note the rates above apply within the Host country. Figures Are expressed in dollars to the British Pound other currencies to the Dollar following arc Interbank rate that fluctuate and should be regarded As the approximate value of the . Dollar to foreign Curren cies italian lira 1,535.35 turkish lira 8,960.80 Spanish peseta 117.25portuguese escudo 149.42 austrian Schilling 11.587 saudi rial 3.7495 Bahrain Dinar 0.37675 Kuwait Dinar 0.3082 norwegian Krone 8.995 danish Krone. 8.397 British Pound. 1.4475 German Mark. 1.8475swiss franc 1.523 French franc 5.581dutch Guilder 1.8537 belgian franc 34.02canadian Dollar 1.2691 not figure Are expressed n dollars to the British Pound other currencies to the Dollar now quote 1328.15 an ounce Silver quote s3.66 an ounce new York Exchange new York Dpi to 15 most in Lvi stocks in Newyork Stock Exchange composite trading on wednesday. Wsot skit lilt net  corp 16,633,600 39 up. Muxo holdings 7.055,000 19h up  6,954,100 17tt unch Merck conc 6,162.900 39 Wal general motors 5.364,700 39v up1v Bristol Myersq 4.212.600 59 uptttelefono3cmx 3.507.900 52v unch ism corp 3,197,600 51h of Motorola inc 3,186,000 54h up Tamer express co 3.142.300 24h putt Abbott labs to 3,122.500 27h  3,116.200 64vt up1v4  2,957,900 4 up taut company 2,360,500 54 it up Kmart corp 2.337,600 23 i putt american Exchange new York up the 10 most Active stocks i american Stock Exchange composite trading wednesday. Sleek sales Tail  labs Kex b 1,647,800 11-16 up 1-16 explore Tancola 1,046,500 1 off fruit of loom 989,800 48h up3 i Cut Lens fit be 797,700 6 up Thom hardart 584,000 315-16 pvt hot Viaven corp 521,800 3ft unc Helan corp Pic 413,700 36v off Echo Bay mines 403.600 4tt Eft 1-16aurora pc tics 396,400 15v putt non communal can 364,200 6h up i Dow Jones new York up Dow Jones closing Range of averages wednesday blah Lorn clots change 30 industrials 3397.83 3322.73 3373.79 up 45.12 20 transport 1553.76 152052 1542.48 up 13.70 15 utilities 23266 229.28 232.04 up 2.51 65 stocks 1260.35 1234.26 1252.21 up 14.43 interest rate matches All time Low in Japan Tokyo a Japan s Central ban Cut its key interest rate by 0.75 percent age Point thursday in an attempt to prop up the Economy and reduce the Trade surplus. The rate matched an All time Low of2.5 percent. The discount rate is the interest the Hank of Japan charges commercial Bankson Loans and it affects Many other Domestic interest rates. It is similar to the discount rate charged by the Federal re serve system to member Banks for Loans. The . Rate is 3 percent. The Cut is unimportant move to boost business con Sumer borrowing and lending. Faster tax refunds available with electronic filing service by Kevin Robinso staff writer Federal income tax filers in Europe who want their tax refunds in a hurry can choose electronic tax filing but the serv ice ranges in Price from free to expensive. Electronic tax filing is offered free income army military communities but not. By the air Force Orthe Navy military tax officials  Germany army Legal assist Ance offices in bad Kreuz Nach Baum Holder and Mann Heim began offer ing electronic filing monday to Active duty . Military members retirees and defense depart ment civilians. Darmstadt will Start elec tronic filing feb. 16," a Legal official said. Through the army s electronic filinger Ogram a person can receive a tax re and in five to seven Days if the refund i deposited into a Bank account an army tax official  army communities Are trying to install the electronic filing software said Steve Smith chief of Legal assistance for the 3rd inf div in Wurzburg Ger Many. People can find out if the service is available in their Community by calling their Legal assistance office he said. In Italy the army Legal office at the Southern european task Force head quarters in Vicenza is offering electronic filing to anyone with an id card said Grace Crock a tax official there.. Air forces in Europe bases were Given the option of providing the elec tronic tax service Safe officials said. However costs associated with personnel to run the service and software have discouraged bases from offering  the Navy electronic software also is unavailable. . Naval bases in Italy depend on family service centers to help sailors with their tax , electronic tax filing is offered through Navy Exchange conces Sions in Italy. The Navy income tax Concession a independently owned tax preparation service in Naples can return refunds Inone Day to two Days said Peter Alessi a is Dave Casey spec. Joseph ii. Masisak uses a big screen computer Monitor during a course held in Darmstadt Germany to explain electronic tax filing. Tax preparer. So far we be had about 60 people mostly civilians in for electronic filing since Jan. 15," said Alessi who expect about 400 to 800 customers this year. The Concession in Naples charges $14 to electronically file the 1040-ez and $20 for the 1040-a, Alessi said. Filing prices can reach hundreds of dollars he said depending on which tax schedules Are filed and no much work is involved. Nobody com Plains Alessi said because they know upfront what they Are paying  or Block has outlets throughout Europe through an army and air Force Exchange service Concession contract most of which offer electronic tax filing said Bambara Kirsch an Safe spokeswoman. It s been chaotic Here said Nanc Kloboucnik a tax preparer for or Block at Raf Mildenhall England. Bot military and civilian tax filers have flooded the office in a trailer on base. We Are the Only ones in the . Who can offer electronic tax filing she said. For $36, the or Block office at Mildenhall will calculate taxes and file re turns electronically Kloboucnik said. The company promises refunds in four weeks or two to three weeks if the Money is de posited into a Bank account. And for $65, they la give a super fast return in two Days she said. The refund is actually a Short term loan through Bank that is attractive to people who have Bills they have to pay tomorrow Kloboucnik said. Andrews Federal credit Union has 12locations in the Netherlands and Ger Many that will electronically file 1040,1040-a and 1040-ez Federal returns for $27.50, said Henry Addison a senior Vic president. The credit Union charges 17.50 for selected state returns. However in All cases customers must fill out their own tax forms before filing at an Drews he said. Retirees now can Cash checks at of offices Ramstein a Germany is military retirees now can Cash personal and government checks at air Force finance and accounting facilities overseas . Air forces in Europe officials said. In addition the new policy Means retirees Are now Able to Cash a Large Check than they would normally at the base Exchange or morale welfare an recreation facilities said retired air Force it. Col. Norm Hershfield director of Retiree activities at Safe. In september the defense depart ment accounting and finance office gave its approval to the air Force to join the army and the Navy in cashing checks for retirees overseas Safe official said. Since then Safe finance officials developed a plan for its individual basest implement the policy. There Are limits for military retirees under the policy Only . Dollar checks traveler s checks or Bank drafts will be cashed checks May not be cashed that read for Deposit Only payable to or without recourse on the reverse Side. Military retirees must present a valid Retiree id card at time of transaction. Family members who require Power of attorney to Cash a Retiree s Check must have their family member id and a copy of that Power of attorney on file at the finance office they visit. Daily weekly and monthly Check cashing limits can vary at each finance Center. Under status of forces agreements military retirees May not open personal accounts at . Banking facilities in Europe such As merchants National Bank or Andrews Federal credit Union. Classic Coke remains nation s Best Selling soft drink a i my i or / a try a _ _ of i _ new York a coca cola Clas sic s Lead widened Over Pepsi As the nation s Best Selling soft drink last year according to a Trade newsletter. But Overall Industry sales grew at the smallest Dollar Pace since 1973-1974, beverage digest said. Retail sales of soft drinks Rose to $47.4 billion in 1992, up 0.9 percent from $47 billion a year earlier i said. In analysing the figures Jesse Meyers who publishes the newsletter from Greenwich conn., blamed last summer s Cool Rainy weather and the weak econ omy for depressing 1992 soft drink sales. Meyers has followed the Industry for More than 30 years. Beverage digest said coca cola Clas sic was the Best Selling Brand with 20 per cent of the Market unchanged from 1991. Pepsi held onto second place but its share dropped to 18 percent from 18.4percent. Diet Coke was no. 3 again at 9.1 per cent Down from 9.3 percent and diet Pepsi remained in fourth place at 6.1 per cent Down from 6.3 percent. Or Pepper made the biggest share gain among leading soft drink brands rising 0.4 percentage Point to 5.9 percent and finishing fifth again. Coca cola co. Also widened in its Lead Over Pepsi cola co. In corporate Market share which counts All brands. Coca Eujla s corporate share held at 41 percent of the Market for the second year while Pepsi cola s share fell to 32.4 percent from 32.8 percent beverage digest said. Or Pepper seven up co. Was third again at 10.6 percent up 0.6 percentage Point from a year ago