European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 2, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 14 the stars and stripes Money matters monday May 2,1994 today s rates following Are fixed rates at which Community banking and. Credit Union facilities will sell for Dan currencies to . Personnel for personal use British Pound .1.56 dutch Guilder. 1.81 German Mark. 1.62 greek drachma. 240.1669 note the rates above apply within the Host country. Figures Ara expressed in dollars to Tho British Pound other currencies to the Dollar following Are Interbank rates that fluctuate and should be regarded As the approximate value of the . Dollar 10 foreign currencies a a a. Austrian Schilling. 11.7025 Bahrain Dinar. 0.37675 belgian franc ,34.26 British Pound .1.5105 Canadian Dollar. 1.3815 danish Krone. 6.557 dutch Guilder .1.8688 French franc 5.704 German Mark. 1.6635 italian lira .1,594.50 Kuwait Dinar. 0.2963 norwegian Krone. 7.245 portuguese escudo. 171.00 saudi rial .4.3.75 Spanish peseta. 135.60 Swiss franc 1.4145 turkish lira a 4 11 a a a a .32,500.00 nolo figures Are expressed in dollars to Tho. British Pound other currencies to Tho Dollar a a Gold quote $376.45 an ounces Silver a Njoto $5.24 an ounce. A a. Sources merchants National Bank amp Trust co., the associated press United press International for Trade Gap Tokyo apr a majority of amen cans blame Japan for the swelling Trade imbalance Between their two countries according to a poll released Here Friday. The foreign ministry said the poll was conducted by the Gallup organization inc among 1,508 . Citizens and 375 . A opinion leaders Between feb. 18 and March 18. It did no to say How the opinion leaders were selected among the respondents surveyed by Telephone 62 percent of both the general Public and the opinion leaders said they think Japan is to blame for its $59 billion annual Trade surplus yith the United slates also More americans Sec Japan As an undependable ally than did last year though an increased number of american opinion leaders regard Japan As in portent to the United states and to the Security of the far East the poll found. Among the general Public 43 percent said Japan is not a dependable ally or a Friend of the United states up. From 40 percent last year. A the proportion for the same category among opinion leaders was 15 percent up from 14 percent last year. Tan s Washington apr the prospects for state budgets for fiscal 1995 Are the Best since 1990, with More than half of the states actually proposing to Cut taxes the major conclusion of this Survey is that there is finally some fiscal stability in the Stales after four very difficult years said Raymond c. Sheppach National governors association executive director / a this does not mean that there Are surpluses or Money for new programs but merely that the magnitude of cutting that we be seen in the last several years has been substantially reduced a he said. The report was released by the governors Ana the National association of state budget officers. The april 1994 a fiscal Survey of states snowed states Are rebounding from the recession of the Early �?T90s, with most states no longer projecting budget shortfalls. Thirty one states and puerto Rico Are proposing net tax changes for fiscal 1995, with the majority of those proposing de creases the study found. Five states expect to Cut sales taxes 15 Are proposing to trim personal income taxes and seven Cut taxes. A the one area where you see some significant increases is tobacco taxes a Sheppach said. \ six states Are proposing to increase tobacco taxes the report found. In terms of spending states Are limiting of Weir Genera fund budget growth to 5 it percent in fiscal 1994 and 3.1 percent in fiscal 1995, according to the report. Spending for medicaid health care for the poor is expected to Rise about 13.6 percent in 1994 and about 8.4 percent in 1995, Sheppach said Down substantially from the 1990-92 period when medicaid spending Rose an average 25 percent a year. Welfare the other major entitlement program showed very Little in Benefit changes according to the associations. Most of the activity involves changes in the Structure of the program. A a you re seeing a lot of experimentation a lot of encouragement to work by reducing the penalties for worker training More enforcement of having both parents financially support children improving Access to health care Quot Sheppach said. Quot several states now Are beginning to Experiment with time limits. And some states Are beginning to Experiment with capping of the benefits.�?�. The other major area where states plan changes is in the handling of juvenile crime and violence. States Are trying to put More Money into alternative facilities such As Boot Camps for Young offenders and some Are changing their Laws so they can prosecute violent teens As adults . . Taxpayers lag on sending returns to a Vintage with kick two bottles of wine to commemorate the upcoming world cup soccer games in the United states arc presented in Nimes France on thursday. The bottles feature the statue of Liberty holding up a soccer Ball and have a replica of the american Flag around the Cork. The red and White Bordeaux and a Cote Aux do Aix in Provence Rose wine will Cost around 25 French francs roughly $4 in France the wines will go on Sale worldwide in about two weeks. The games Start june 17. Washington apr tax returns have been coming in More slowly this year and the internal Revenue service is trying to determine Why. Through april 22, the Agency had received 103.6 million returns Down from 104.1 million through the comparable period a year earlier the irs said Friday the number of Extension requests filed fell to 2.6 million from 3.6 million. At the beginning of this year the irs was expecting 1175 million returns by year end. It has scaled Back the projection to 114.9 million and is considering reducing the projection again said irs spokesman Frank Keith. Last year 113.8 million returns were received Keith said officials believe about 800,000 of the decline can be attributed to the Agency a efforts to inform people who have been filing unnecessarily. Also the Agency has noticed fewer returns of sporting Only interest income because declining interest rates have pushed some of those taxpayers below the filing threshold he said. However the general accounting office the congressional watchdog Agency wants the irs to make sure the declining number of returns is not a reflection of a lapse in compliance. / the decline in returns comes during a major Campaign by the irs to close the so called tax Gap the difference Between what taxpayers actually pay and what they arc supposed to the Overall decline in returns filed this year the number of paperless returns continues to increase. The irs said/13.4 million returns were filed electronically by tax preparation services up from 12.3 million last year. It said 519,000 returns were filed by Telephone in the seven states where taxpayers could use that method up from 149,000 last year when Only Ohio residents were eligible. A a. A a As of april 22, the irs had sent out 56 million refunds Down from 56.4 million last year. Refunds averaged $1,026 each up from $979. By the Washington Post teenage mutant ninja turtles May Battle the shredder hut the solar robot Turtle will neatly mow your Lawn. A a Turtle is the nickname its belgian inventor gave to a fully automated robot powered by the Sun that moves slowly around the Yard cutting the grass. Its computer brain knows enough to Back out of the Way of Trees and other objects when it bumps them according to David Anderson product manager for the . Company marketing the solar Mower. It is smart enough to Groom the Lawn when it is needed and not mow when it is wet. The machine continually takes off grass tips rather than cutting deeply once a week. Using Power harnessed by 34 purple solar cells on its Back it emits no loud noises or polluting fumes and has no bags to empty. _ a i think its going to be a real hot product in a category with the videocassette recorder or the personal computer when they first came out a said John Schaeffer president of real goods a mail order firm in Ukiah Calif that will feature the Mower in its Catalon of Energy efficient products. Like the first Vars and personal computers the solar Lawn Mower carries a hefty Price $1,995, but that i expected to drop if the device catches on made in Belgium the robotic Lawi Mower is being marketed by Poulan Weed eater of Shreveport la. To activate the Mower a person flips switch on it and punches in a Security code. The polycarbonate and Al Minur. Machine can be left out All summer with out fear of rust
