This message keeps disappearing and reappearing from Giganews.
A couple of people have already answered it, so I know it's
propagated at least partially off-site, but I'm reposting it in
a new thread anyway. Please post answers in either thread.
If anyone indicates that they didn't see the first posting, then
I'll accept answers until 3 days after this one.

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These questions were written to be asked in Toronto on 1998-04-06, and
should be interpreted accordingly. All questions were written by
members of the Usual Suspects, but have been reformatted and may have
been retyped and/or edited by me. I will reveal the correct answers in
about 3 days.

For further information, including an explanation of the """ notation
that may appear in these rounds, see my 2020-06-23 companion posting on
"Reposted Questions from the Canadian Inquisition (RQFTCI*)".

* Game 10, Round 1 - Current Events (excerpt)

This round is based on editorial cartoons that appeared in Canadian
newspapers """last week""" -- that is, in 1998. Answer if you like
for fun, but for no points.

1. http://www.eskimo.com/~scs/msb/oo10/1/A.jpg

This cartoon refers to a debate that's been going on for decades
about whether a certain police force should wear sidearms.
The word we've blotted out in this cartoon appeared between
"rotten" and "criminals" in the upper right corner: what is it?

2. http://www.eskimo.com/~scs/msb/oo10/1/B.jpg

This cartoon by Patrick Corrigan appeared in the "Toronto
Star" """last Wednesday""". What reassuring quip was written,
upside-down, on the button that we've blotted out on the Great
Man's lapel?

I wrote both of these rounds.

* Game 10, Round 2 - Canadiana - Income Tax

All answers pertain to the 1997 tax year, i.e., the return that
you """will probably be filing shortly""" if you haven't already
done it. So if you were paying attention to the budget """in
February""", you should temporarily forget everything you learned.

*Note*: If you want to give current information, I will generously
accept answers pertaining to either the 2019 or the 2020 tax year,
so long as the facts stated in the question are still generally
correct. If they aren't, you must give the originally expected
answer. You *never* need to mention which year you are answering
for.

1. For what type of income is it the case that you initially report
a so-called "grossed-up" or "taxable" amount, 25% larger than
the actual income, but then claim on Schedule 1 a credit of
13+1/3 % (thirteen and a third percent) of the actual amount
of this income?

2. Capital gains can sometimes be offset against capital losses,
but if you have a capital gain that you cannot offset and that
isn't exempt for another reason, in most cases what fraction
of the gain must you count as income?

3. The next three questions are about calculating your federal
non-refundable tax credits, which replaced many of the
deductions from net income """about 10 years ago""". When
doing this calculation, most people start with a constant
"Personal Amount", which effectively represents the amount of
income that is always tax-free federally. Within 12% of the
actual number, how many dollars is that?

4. Within 25% of the actual number, how many dollars is your federal
Spousal Amount, if you are supporting a spouse who has no income,
but you are not a caregiver?

5. The next step in the non-refundable credit calculation is to
add up these and other amounts and take a certain percentage
of the total. If you aren't claiming anything for charitable
donations, that percentage yields the amount of your federal
non-refundable tax credit. Within 1 percentage point, what
percentage do you take?

6. Several things may enter into the calculation of your RRSP
contribution room, but the most fundamental one is a percentage
of the previous year's earned income. Within 2 percentage
points, what """is""" that percentage?

7. If you have to pay income tax by installments, how often are
they due?

8. The basic federal tax calculation (on Schedule 1) begins
by classifying your taxable income into one of three brackets.
(For 2019-20: five brackets, and it's on the T1.) Within $4,000
in either case, give the number of dollars of taxable income
that forms (A) the top boundary of the bottom bracket, *or*
(B) the bottom boundary of the top bracket. You *must* say
whether you are answering question A or B, but you don't have
to say for what year.

9. Most taxpayers have to add a surtax that is what percentage of
the basic federal tax?

10. In the initial calculation of Ontario provincial income tax,
what percentage of the basic federal tax do you take, within
3� percentage points?

* Game 10, Round 3 - Geography - Border Towns

In each case we will name a city that is on a state or national
border, or in some cases merely close to the border, and you simply
have to tell us what's on the other side.

1. What other country """is""" nearest the French city of Lille?

2. What other country """is""" nearest the Italian city of Trieste?

3. What city or town """lies""" across a *state* boundary from
Vancouver, Washington?

4. What US city or town """is""" nearest Ft. Frances, Ontario?

5. What city or town in another country """is""" nearest San Diego,
California?

6. What city or town in another country """is""" nearest
Brazzaville, which """is""" in one of the two countries
named Congo?

7. What US city or town """is""" nearest St. Stephen, New Brunswick?

8. What city or town """lies""" across a *state* boundary from
Camden, New Jersey?

9. What other *country* """is""" nearest to the French city of Nice?

10. What *two other countries* """are""" adjacent to the Swiss
city of Basel?

--
Mark Brader, Toronto | "Anyone who can handle a needle convincingly can make
msb@vex.net | us see a thread which is not there." --E.H. Gombrich

My text in this article is in the public domain.