-- CTF Will Co-Host First North American Event June 12-14, 1998 in Whistler --

VICTORIA / OTTAWA / STOCKHOLM: Taxpayers Associations International (TAI) today officially announced that it's sixth World Taxpayers Conference (WTC) - and the first to be held in North America - will be hosted by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) June 12-14, 1998 in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada.

"We are looking forward to our conference in Canada this June," said TAI President Bjorn Tarras-Wahlberg. "The CTF is recognized as a leader among taxpayer groups internationally," noting that the Federation received an award at the last WTC in Budapest, Hungary for their advocacy work leading to the passage of Manitoba's Taxpayer Protection Act.

Based in Stockholm, Sweden, Taxpayers Associations International was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1988 to provide support for and exchange information among the growing number of disparate taxpayer activists and organizations throughout the world. Today, TAI is comprised of 19 member organizations in fifteen countries on five continents. The CTF joined TAI in 1992 and assisted in the emergence of a taxpayer organization in Hungary. Every two years TAI co-sponsors a World Taxpayers Conference with a member organization.

The event will take place at the Whistler Conference Centre Friday June 12 through Sunday June 14. The first day is dedicated to international delegates with the final two days open to a wider Canadian audience. All sessions are open to the media.

"This year's theme is 'Toward the Taxpayer Millennium," said CTF representative Troy Lanigan. "Growth in government spending, debt and taxes have slowed over the past decade - indeed taxpayer groups can celebrate many victories - but it's just the tip of the iceberg. How a major demographic shift heading into the 21st century will impact health care and social security - and the costs associated with that shift -- is something our governments collectively refuse to address." Featured topics and speakers include:

• Catholic University of Chile economist Luis Larrain on social security reform
  
  
• Author of The Great Reckoning James Dale Davidson on rethinking the welfare state
  
  
• University of Singapore economist Dr. Linda Low on health care reform
  
  
• Tax Fighter Joel Fox on California's Proposition 13 twenty years later
  
  
• Stanford's Alvin Rabushka on the flat taxEducation reformer Dr. Joe Freedman on Alberta's experiment with charter schools
  
  
• Leader of the Official Opposition Preston Manning on Canada in the post-deficit era
  
  
• Municipal cost cutting and performance measurement consultant >u>Charles Bens
  
  
• Former Ontario MP and author Patrick Boyer on direct democracy
  
  
• Claremont University's Craig Stubblebine on tax and expenditure limits

An invitation has also been sent to Finance Minister Paul Martin to present his vision of Canada in the post-deficit era. Several other speakers have been confirmed for more than 25 plenary and workshop sessions over the three days.

A press conference featuring leaders of several TAI member organizations will be held on Thursday June 11, 1998 in Vancouver. They will address issues pertaining to their respective countries, TAI agenda items and resolutions to be discussed in Whistler. A draft agenda, list of speakers and media registration is available by contacting the CTF's office in Victoria.

"The taxpayers' movement is growing internationally - especially in the former communist bloc," said Tarras-Wahlberg "Today we have associations in Estonia, Poland, Croatia, Hungary and five associations in former East Germany. Our goal is nothing short of associations in every country on the globe to oversee the spending of tax dollars and advocate for more economic and individual freedom."

"We are honoured to welcome the world, and build on this growing international movement," said CTF federal director Walter Robinson.