European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 20, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 14 the stars and stripes Money matters wednesday july 20, 1994 today a rates following Are fixed rates at which Community banking and credit Union facilities will sell foreign currencies to . Personnel for personal use British Pound .1.60 dutch Guilder. 1.69 German Mark. 1.51 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 austrian Schilling. 10.9120 Bahrain Dinar 0.377 belgian franc .,.31.93 British Pound. 1.5625 Canadian Dollar 1.3810 danish Krone .6.0950 dutch Guilder. 1.74 French franc. 5.3240 German Mark. 1.5522 greek drachma .234.20 italian lira. 1,558 Kuwait Dinar. 0.2959 norwegian Krone. 6.7895 portuguese escudo 159.55 saudi rial. 3.75 Spanish peseta. 128 Swiss franc 1.3095. Turkish lira. .30,800.00 note figures Are expressed in. Dollars to the British Pound other currencies to the Dollar. Gold quote $384.25 an ounce. Silver quote $5.24 an ounce. Sources merchants National Bank amp Trust co. And the associated press r new York Exchange 1 a Mew York a Stiles the 15 most Active new York nationally monday. 4 . Price and net change at Stock Exchange issues trading Nam. Volume lilt cig.  a a a 7,195,120 4 4 i h reps Olacks a a. 4.329,700 30vi m us West a a a 2,800.700 40 -17 Walmart 2,252.300 25a 4 Motorola s a. A 2,183,200 50vi 1v. Pepsico 1. A. 1.7b7.700 30vi i am express. 1,755,400 2695 v. Goodyear 1,742,200 35 a a /. Int game a a 1.683,400 22 1. Compaq s. 1,621.700 .34 i i ism. ,. .1,605.700 56v. I a Weic s a a a 1,590.800. 47 m unch Etc up s a 1,567.500 15vi w Ford motor s a 1,505,200 31v. A get up a a a .1,4/0,300 30 /. V. C american Exchange Newy Oft apr sales closing Price and net change of the 10 most Active american Stock Exchange issues trading nationally monday. -. A mime volume Jil Fig Spucci revision a 722,2dq. 2 a a Echo Bay. 5/8,too Hunch via comb chess its. Viacom Etc Ray algae a excl Ltd Pegasus old eng Ysac of. Thro five s 524.000 491,200 486.400 354.400 .336.600 332.000 268,800 249.900 3215 a 0 a a a 1w w 4i5 1 5/1g unch 14w.-1w 1814 w 39 1% c Dow Jones 1 new York apr Dow Jones closing Range of aver Ages Art monday a. High Low close change 30 industrials 3779.39 3725.00 3755.43 1.62 20 transports 1618.54 1588.87 1603.13. 1.15 15 utilities 184.09 181,19 182.90 -0.33 65 stocks. 1310.53 1289.75 1300.84 0.30 Nosy irs employees Snoop on taxpayers senator says Washington api the Nice thing about working for Trie internal Revenue service is its easy to see your tax files. But its also easy to see other Peoples tax files a too easy sen. John Glenn says. A when americans sit Down and provide the government with their most personal information the irs has a moral and Legal obligation to keep it private and confidential a said Glenn chairman of the Senate governmental affairs committee. Irs commissioner Margaret Richardson agreed. A abuses of taxpayers right to privacy will not be tolerated a she said in remarks prepared for delivery. Tuesday to Glenn a committee. Glenn a Ohio released new irs statistics monday showing that More than 1,300 of its employees had been investigated since 1989 for unauthorized Snoop my in the irs computer system. Richardson said the irs has a made significant Progress since Glenn first revealed the snooping problem last year. A we have a better detection system a Strong penalty guide an irs wide privacy policy an advocate for privacy and plans to make our systems of the future much More secure from any employees abuse a she said. A a Glenn also released irs data showing that the Agency a electronic filing system had been used by Crooks to get an undeserved $15 million in refunds this year. A i do not believe that the Agency currently has the capacity or technology to catch most refund schemes a Glenn said. A there must be better controls on electronic  irs spokesman Frank Keith said a we have made significant Progress in dealing with refund fraud both on paper and in the electronic Arena. A we remain convinced that the electronic filing program is an important part of our plans to modernize the  Keith confirmed statistics provided by Glenn s staff showing a difference Between the Early detection rates of phony refund claims filed on paper and those filed electronically. A during the first Glenn. Four a months of this year the irs found that paper tax returns seeking $55.3 million in refunds were fraudulent. The Agency discovered the fraud Early enough to prevent $53.1 million of that from going out to the cheaters. For electronic filings the irs found $44.1 million in fraudulent refunds of which $29.1 million was spotted before refunds went out. During that four months the irs approved almost $62 billion of refunds. In 1993, electronic filers tried to dupe the irs for $54 million in undeserved refunds. The Agency spotted the questionable refunds in time to prevent about $29 million from going out but the checks for another $24 million were mailed. That compared with $82 million Worth of falsely claimed refunds on paper filings of which $72.9 million was detected in time to prevent payment. Under electronic filing available nationally since 1990, authorized preparers and commercial companies can file returns for taxpayers via computer cutting the refund time from six or seven  to two weeks. Keith said electronic filing May make it easier in the Long run to prevent refund fraud. The figures cited by Glenn a staff he added a May not detect the extent to which we prevented fraud from Ever getting into the system this  for 1995, new companies that want to file electronic returns will have to submit to fingerprinting for criminal background checks and aut Nonze for credit checks Richardson  fraud fighting Power is planned when Irb computers Are nod Erni Zed but the of pfc of that upgrade is Uncertain. The irs wanted to spend $989 million on the project next year but the House wants to Cut that by $517 million and the Senate by $585 million a conference committee now is negotiating what the final funding should be. A such reductions. May require us to Stop All of the major hardware acquisitions we had planned and consequently completely rethink the tax systems modernization program we have planned a Richardson said care benefits in us Berlin apr ask the Burger servers in the neat Grcen and White striped shirts at Mcdonald a about health insurance and the response is Well yes they be got it. Mcdonald a Germany became part of the health care debate in Washington last week w Hen two members of Congress attacked Mcdonald a and pizza hut for treating German workers better than their employees in the United states. Sen. Edward Kennedy d-mass., and rep. John Dingell d-mich., also mentioned Japan Belgium and the Netherlands As countries where local workers get More coverage than at Home. The lawmakers complained that it was hypocritical of Mcdonald a and pizza hut to fight against having the same mandated coverage in the United states. German executives of the two companies were wary of getting involved in the debate Between their Home offices and powerful congressmen. A a it a the Law Here. No one can be hired without being insured a said Eva Sachse vice president for personnel of Mcdonald a Germany which has More than 500 restaurants. The company a Revenue shot up 19.2 percent in 1993, to $1.5 billion and it employed 34,000 workers. The . Home offices say mandated health insurance would raise their costs and thus prices to american Consumers. Prices of Many items Are higher in Germany than in the United states partly because of health insurance and other personnel costs. How much of that is health insurance Cost Mcdonald a Ger Nany  say nor would pizza hut though the company said a medium supreme pizza that costs $11 in America costs $19 in Germany and $25 in Japan pizza hut said it will have 80 restau rants in Germany by the end of 1994. High personnel costs figure in the Long running a a debate Over Standorf deutschland Germany As a business location health insurance premiums Range from 10 percent to 16 percent of Gross pay with employer and employee splitting it evenly that provides for full care almost always with the doctor of ones Choice. The system. Covers 90 percent of the population and the other 10 percent go under private insurance plans for business people free lancers High earners and other categories. German Law obliges All employers including Mcdonald a to pay half the Cost of comprehensive health insurance for staff members. One important exception is students who stay on their parents plan until age 25.how american is your car will Tell Washington apr Consumers confused Over the increasingly blurred lines of whether a new car is american will get some help in showrooms beginning oct. 1. A new window sticker will list the combined percentage of parts of the vehicle made in the United states or Canada where the engine and transmission were made the name of any nation that supplied More than 15 percent of a vehicles value and the place of final Assembly. A. The National Highway traffic safety administration issued its final Rule monday on How manufacturers must calculate the information. . Automakers Hope the Label required by a 1992 Law will quash advertising efforts by foreign owned manufacturers to depict their vehicles As a made in  but importers who do build some of their cars in the United states said the american automobile Labelling act will be misleading to Consumers. Foreign automakers said the labels Are deceiving because the value of labor Isnit included in the calculations . And Canadian parts Are grouped together and the same part that comes from an internal supplier could be counted differently if purchased by another manufacturer. A. Another contentious Point is that All cars with the same nameplate will be counted the same even if they Are built in More than one country. In other words a Toyota camry built in Japan will have the same statistics As one built in Kentucky. _ the Nitsa decided to allow manufacturers to add a sentence further explaining the Domestic Content of the vehicles built in the United states. A a we re in favor of a Label that would provide accurate information to Consumers. But this Label would provide useless information to the consumer Quot said Morry Markowitz a spokesman for the association of International automobile manufacturers. Jason vines a spokesman for the . Big three Trade group the american automobile manufacturers association said All producers Are operating under the same rules. A a it a not misleading. Its the first time we have something that a consistent and uniform for the manufacturers vines said. A a what a been misleading and confusing arc comments made by some of those manufacturers that oppose this Law most stridently a