Over the Counter: July 2001

Tool Tax Legislation For Apprentice Technicians To Be Tabled This Fall

Legislation is to be tabled this fall which will provide apprentice technicians with a degree of tax relief against their tool purchases.

The announcement, confirmed by the Automotive Industries Association of Canada (AIA), says that the Minister of Finance and the Department of Finance will be working closely with AIA over the summer and will introduce legislation when the legislature resumes sitting in the fall. According to Lise Newton, manager of public relations at the association, “What we know right now is that there will probably be tax relief over three years, which will work out to $1,500 total.” The expenditures to be covered, she says, would be up to about 5% of gross income, or about $4,000 maximum.

Prestone Gains Dex-Cool Approval

Prestone Extended Life 5/150 Antifreeze/Coolant has been approved by General Motors Corporation to be licensed as a Dex-Cool product under General Motors’ extended life engine coolant specification, GM 6277M. Prestone Products was also granted a long-term contract to supply its extended life engine coolant for approximately one-third of GM’s North American factory-fill coolant needs.

Warehouse Distributors Honor Supplier Performance

Warehouse Distribution organizations released their supplier awards recently.

UAP Inc. presented its UAP/NAPA Service Excellence Award, which went to Gates Canada Inc. based on a number of criteria: Industry Leadership; Sales Growth; Marketing Support; Shipping Performance; Product Features; and Sales Force Commitment.

Carquest selected Carquest Exhaust and Shocks by ArvinMeritor as its 2000 Vendor of the Year. Order fill awards went to Milton Industries for Carquest Tire Repair Inc.; Lisle Corporation for Carquest Specialty Tools; Carquest Products Inc. for Carquest transmission filters, accessories, power steering hose, and motor mounts; AMS Automotive for Carquest new clutches; ArvinMeritor for Carquest exhaust; and Dana Corpora-tion for Carquest gaskets, filters, and brakes. Also honored were Coni-Seal for Carquest Red Brake Hydraulics; Wells Manufacturing Corp. for Carquest Red Engine Controls; and Federal-Mogul for Carquest Red Chassis Parts.