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Victims of Hurricane Ike in select areas in Texas and Louisiana will have more time to pay and file their tax returns after the Internal Revenue Service has announced that they are postponing the payment deadlines to January 5, 2009. Due dates for tax returns and other time-sensitive activities will also be extended.

To be eligible for the tax relief, you’d have to be a resident or hold business in presidential disaster areas such as:

Louisiana – Acadia, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, Iberia, Jefferson, Jefferson Davis, Lafourche, Plaquemines, Sabine, St. Mary, Terrebonne, Vermilion, and Vernon.

Texas – Angelina, Austin, Brazoria, Chambers, Cherokee, Fort Bend, Galveston, Grimes, Hardin, Harris, Houston, Jasper, Jefferson, Liberty, Madison, Matagorda, Montgomery, Nacogdoches, Newton, Orange, Polk, Sabine, San Augustine, San Jacinto, Trinity, Tyler, Walker, Waller, and Washington.

If you are living outside these areas but have your records or your tax professional’s office in any one of these counties, or if you are a member of any government or charitable organization that helps out in relief operations in affected areas, you can also take advantage of the tax extension.

There are two ways to benefit from this extension:

• o    get a chance to receive an earlier tax refund by claiming a casualty loss when you file your tax return for last year, or

• o    get a bigger tax saving by claiming the loss for this year’s tax return.

Remember to put “Louisiana/Hurricane Ike” or “Texas/Hurricane Ike” at the top of the form if you are filing for last year so that the IRS can speed up processing of the refund. Personal property losses or reimbursements can also be deducted on your returns, but you have to adhere to some IRS regulations for this.

IRS has made it easier for taxpayers to get the tax relief by using computers to automatically identify residents eligible for the extension. Those living outside the disaster areas can also request for tax relief by calling the agency’s hotline numbers or by visiting www.irs.gov.

We will never forget.—These were the words displayed on a big screen at the Pentagon memorial as friends and families remembered the 184 people who died when American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon on September 11, 2001.

9/11 is also a day when we remember the courageous people who risked their lives to help rescue the victims: policemen, health workers, volunteers, and a lot others. They were the ones who hauled bodies out from the rubbles, rushed bleeding people to hospitals, and initiated emergency assistance. They helped others to survive the attacks; they saved lives. There’s no doubt about it, they’re real-life heroes.

In July, there were plans to provide hospitals and clinics with a $30 million federal grant to help treat patients suffering from respiratory ailments. Firefighters were among those who responded during the 9/11 attacks. After the rescue operations, they experienced respiratory difficulties—nicknamed “World Trade Center cough,” caused by exposure to smoke and dust. The money, which is believed to be included in a bill, will cover expenses for firefighters’ medication.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency or FEMA played a major role during the 9/11 rescue operation, and did a good job. Part of its mandate is to provide funding for emergency preparation, which is very important in case a second attack or any related disaster happens. FEMA sponsors trainings for anti-terrorism and counseling assistance. It also pays for expenses of personnel attending training courses for disaster management.

Seven years may have passed but the memories of 9/11 still haunt us. Rescue workers whose health have deteriorated are living reminders of the savagery of the terrorist attacks. How the government—and us, in general—seek to ease their affliction shows how much we value their heroism on that historic day.

Why do you need guidance in tax payment? It’s simple: it’s to avoid disagreements and set a rule for making tax payments.

If you are running your own business, part of your responsibility is to pay taxes in a proper and prompt manner. But there are times when you’ll find yourself facing some tax issues that could mess up the filing process.

For example, those in the trucking business may find it difficult to determine which types of trucks are subjected to excise tax. A person working for the film industry might be confused about the amount of tax to pay for acquiring a developed script, while family day care employees may not know whether to use the actual cost of free meals they give to children or the standard rates when computing how much money is going to be deducted in their payments.

These disputes can cause trouble and confusion for many taxpayers. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recognizes the problem and is set on finding the answers. That’s why it’s seeking the help of businesses and associations to submit their issues—areas of concerns during tax payment under the Industry Issue Resolution Program of the IRS.

Once an issue is submitted to the IRS, a team comprised of IRS and Treasury personnel will select a particular issue and start gathering important facts and study the implications this would have on taxpayers and other interested parties. The process will result in the creation of guidance (or guidelines) that will be used to resolve the issue.

The following is a list of the recent guidance released by the agency to help taxpayers:

• • Vehicle-Pool Method
• • Heavy Equipment Dealers’ Parts Inventory
• • Facsimile Signatures on Employment Tax Returns
• • Health Care Provider Incentive Payments
• • Work Opportunity and Welfare-to-Work Tax Credits
• • Truck Sale Excise Tax
• • Reporting Employment Taxes in Context of Mergers, Consolidations, etc.
• • Truck or Highway Tractor for Purposes of the Retail Excise Tax
• • Creative Properties
• • Recoverable Oil and Gas Reserves
• • Safe Harbor Method for Treating Fiber Optic Cable
• • Depreciation of Gasoline Station Pump Canopies and Supporting Concrete Footings
• • Standard Rates for Meals Provided by Family Day Care Providers
• • Inventory Valuation Method for Re-Buildable Motor Vehicle Cores
• • Reporting of Payments to Employees Who Owned Heavy Equipment Used by Their Employers
• • Treatment of Restaurant Smallwares Packages
• • Local Impact Fees Associated with Low Income Housing Tax Credit Property and the Treatment with Respect to Eligible Basis
• • Demonstrator Vehicles Provided for Use by Employees
• • Conformity Election by Banks for Bad Debts
• • Certain costs of Golf Course Construction

These issued guidance help both the taxpayers and the government. Because filing becomes faster and more efficient, a great deal of money is saved and reallocated for use in resolving tax issues.

The IRS receives and reviews submissions every six months, and is giving businesses and associations until August 31 to submit their issues. You can go to the IRS website if you wish to know more about tax guidance.

Parents who have to go to work or school the whole day know how hard it is to be away from their kids. Questions about their health and well-being are often being raised, and in the end, day care centers seem to be the best and most reassuring solution for anxious parents. But child care can be expensive, and some parents become torn between keeping their tots secure and happy while making ends meet and paying the bills.

Thanks to the Child Care and Development Fund, however, day care doesn’t have to be a financial burden for parents who are struggling to make a living for the whole family. This government grant is designed so that low-income families can receive proper care for their little ones while parents are away in the office or in school. The services are offered in the form of vouchers through contracts that are drawn up with child care providers. Best of all, parents are free to choose which child care center they’d like, just as long as the center is a registered and legally recognized facility.

Eligibility guidelines also make room for families who are already getting temporary public assistance, or even to parents who are making the move towards financial independence from federal aid. Families in tribal communities and U.S. territories are also covered. In 2006 alone, the Child Care and Development Fund has served countless households all over the country with a generous $5 billion budget. Learn more about how you can receive subsidized child care! Contact the Department of Health and Human Services, or get in touch with your local Child Care Bureau to get more information about the program.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has announced again that it’s not too late for qualifying veterans and retirees to file for stimulus checks. The IRS also announced that they will send a second set of information packets to 5.2 million more people who may be eligible but still haven’t filed for their economic stimulus payments.

The information packets contain instructions, a sample Form 1040A and a blank Form 1040A, which one needs to fill out and submit in order to receive stimulus checks. The packets are being sent within a three-week period which began last July 21.

IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman also wanted to remind the people that it’s not too late to file, but that the sooner the people do, the sooner they’ll receive the money.

The mailing effort is part of an IRS summer campaign to reach out to people who are eligible for stimulus payments but are generally not required to file a tax return. The stimulus payments can be up to $300, or $600 for married filing jointly. There is also a $300 per child payment for eligible children under 17 years old.

To find out if you’re an eligible stimulus check recipient:

• *You or your family has at least $3,000 worth of qualifying income from (or in combination with) Social security benefits, Veterans Affairs benefits, Railroad Retirement benefits, and earned income. However, Supplementary Security Income (SSI) does not count as qualifying income.
• *You and family members listed on your tax return all have valid Social Security numbers.
• *You are not a dependent (or eligible to be one on someone else’s tax return).

The IRS is reminding people to file their tax returns by October 15 to be able to receive stimulus payments this year.