Tax

More than 20 Kansas organizations receive more than $4 million in community service tax credits from the Kansas Department of Commerce. The awards include more than $224,375 for Dodge City Community College. School leaders hope to use the tax credit as part of a fundraising campaign to add classroom and garage space to the manufacturing and technology building and expand the welding program. Officials with the school hope the efforts will double enrollment from 60 to 120. Under the program, people and businesses who contribute to awarded organization can receive a 50% tax credit in urban areas and a 70% tax credit in rural areas.

Tax day was pushed back three days for a holiday in Washington DC and if you think doing taxes is all paper-work and no fun, wait until you hear what one local tax guy says people try to write off. In all his years preparing taxes for people, Chris Merchant has come across some unusual write offs. "It's an interesting business," said Merchant. Some legit and some not so much; it's easy for Merchant to tell the difference but can you? How about dog food?

Roadways in the San Francisco Bay Area see a lot of traffic, and many roads are riddled with potholes. But repairing the roads won't be free, say transportation officials. That's why they're proposing a new tax for road maintenance. "Whether or not we do it with gas tax.. sales tax.. or a vehicle miles travel fee..something.. something needs to be done.. or we can watch these roads turn to gravel roads," says Randy Rentschler. They're proposing a $0.10 per mile tax on drivers, to pay for road improvements.

How closely do you inspect your restaurant receipt?  You may not have noticed some checks show a tax on alcohol. Eyewitness News viewer "Phil" sent us a copy of his bill from a recent visit to Red Lobster.  He thought it was fishy the restaurant charged him a $1.73 "wine tax".  In an email to the FactFinder 12 Investigators "Phil" wrote: "Why is Red Lobster the only restaurant that charges a wine tax on wine?" The Investigators found out all Kansas restaurants charge the tax.  But some places calculate it differently on a receipt.

(WICHITA, Kan.) You've heard a lot of things about the health care reform law. But have you heard about a lot of things in the law? One is a tax that could bring $20 billion to the US government by 2023. You won't be taxed, but you might still pay it. When you think of your health, television screens and robotics probably don't jump to mind. But at the Via Christi Transforum Health Expo, technology is at the core of health care. "Right now, everybody wants the work done soon and they want to be able to get back to their life," said Brian Swallow of Via Christi Surgical Services.

Next month you'll have the chance to give the city council your opinion on incentives for businesses.  August 10th, the council will hold a public hearing on creating two community improvement districts or CID incentive. A CID incentive allows the improvement district to charge up to an additional two cent sales tax to help pay off the project.  The City of Wichita is considering CID's to build a hotel at Waterwalk and also for a retail development at Central and Oliver.  CID's are a newer incentive approved by state lawmakers in 2009.

by Dave Roberts (TOPEKA, Kan.) The Senate is scheduled to begin debating its version of the state budget this morning. Late last night, the house voted down its own version. The Senate Ways and Means committee drafted the budget. It calls for a one cent sales tax for the next three years and a tax on alcohol and tobacco.

Latest Update TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - Hundreds of state employees and soda vendors from across Kansas are out in force at the Statehouse. About 400 vendors wearing blue Pepsi shirts and jackets gathered outside a committee room Wednesday where a Senate panel took testimony on a plan to tax soda and other sugary drinks. The idea from Sen. John Vratil, a Leawood Republican, would increase the cost of a 12-ounce can of soda by a dime. Such an increase would raise an estimated $90 million for the state beginning July 1. An alternative plan floated earlier raises that tax by four-tenths of a cent per teaspoon of sugar.

Press Release from IRS: St Louis - The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is seeking qualified Revenue Officer candidates for positions in the Wichita IRS Office.  Applicants must apply by February 20th, see www.usajobs.opm.gov for more information on how to apply. Interested applicants must be a United States citizen and have a bachelor's degree (with superior academic achievement - 3.0 or higher overall or 3.5 or higher in major) or equivalent work experience or a combination of education and related work experience.

Voters have said no before, now a new vote on a tax hike to help fund a new Reno County jail is pushed back. It was supposed to happen in November of 2012; instead the vote will take place in April of 2013. Those who want a new jail in Reno County say the current jail is too old and outdated. For years, they've been pushing for a new jail. Eyewitness News found out Wednesday that Reno County voters will have a chance to decide next year. That may seem like a long time away, but there's a big reason they don't want to put it on the ballot this November.

Drop the state sales tax in Kansas or keep the rate where it is, that's the debate going on in Topeka this week. Lawmakers return to the state house Monday and what they decide could affect what you spend at the store. Right now the state sales tax is 6.3%. On July first, the rate is scheduled to go down to 5.7%. That is a difference of 0.06%. On an $8 dinner bill, it would put about four cents back in your pocket. One Wichita business owner says those pennies could add up to help her bottom line.      Chenay Sloan owns a resale clothing store for kids.

Doug Collard is a retired veteran and lives on social security. "I only live on $12,000 a year," Collard said. "Now days, that's hardly any money. " He needs to find some way to cut back financially even more than he already has. "I don't know how I can because a buck only goes so far. My rent went up. Everything is going up as you know,"  Collard said. Collard got $477 back for 2012 from the Homestead Act. That is money he and thousands others across the state rely on. But that money will not be available next year.

The Kansas Department of Revenue has seized the assets of a Hays restaurant for failing to pay sales tax. The Hays Daily News reports Professor's Steakhouse and Saloon closed this week. Red signs posted on the building stated the property had been seized and is in the possession of the state of Kansas. According to the Kansas State Department of Revenue, the restaurant had two warrants totaling $68,262.76. The state usually closes a restaurant and takes over assets when back taxes are owed and after department personnel have tried to work with the party to resolve the issue.

A Wichita tax preparer has been convicted on charges of filing false federal income tax returns.        Lata L. Tomlinson, 33, was convicted on 19 counts of preparing false income tax returns for a total of 17 people during tax years 2007, 2008 and 2009. Prosecutors said that Tomlinson had a college degree in accounting and worked for various tax preparation companies before starting her own business in 2006 called Talking Taxes And More.   In tax returns she prepared, she falsely stated deductions for depreciation, home improvements, business repairs, contract labor, legal fees, home repairs, medical expenses, advertising, insurance, car and truck expenses, hay and grain expenses, cell phones and care of dependents.

Is there such a thing as a "Happy Tax Day"? Down under Master--- Adam Scott, belly putter and all, wins the Master's in a playoff against Angel Cabrera who, I swear, only plays well in majors. Tiger Woods finishes fourth, four shots off the lead and is left to wonder 'what if?' Remember, Woods was assessed a two stroke penalty on Friday after a series of events that started with him hitting the flagpole on 15 and bouncing into the water. Who's to say what happens if that shot doesn't get the bad bounce and he makes birdie instead of triple bogey.

It's the end of tax season and at R&J Salina Tax Service, they can definitely feel it. The building is buzzing with ringing phones, the clack of fingers on keyboards and the sound of customers going in and out of the door. "It's been crazy busy," Timothy Graham Jr., enrolled agent said. Some filers have put of the chore of doing their taxes. "It's not something that I enjoy, so I don't rush right out and get them done," customer Paul Roberts said. Graham said that the fiscal cliff has also pushed a lot of the filing back.

State officials have closed Patti's Place in Augusta for failing to pay sales tax and withholding taxes. The Kansas Department of Revenue said the restaurant at 711 W. 7th, owes more than $75,000. Agents and Augusta Police department officers seized the business' assets Monday morning. The tax warrants date back to January of 2011. Warrant execution occurs when all other collection attempts, including multiple letters, telephone calls, letters of impending legal action, tax liens filed with the local District Court to secure the debt, previous bank levies and on-site till taps are executed to bring the taxpayer into compliance have been exhausted.

When President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law, nobody could predict the full impact.  Many of the rules are still being written.  But taxpayers in Hutchinson are starting to get a better idea. "The people voted him in," taxpayer Doug Henderson says.  "He came up with this plan. They went along with it. " Hutchinson School District Superintendent Shelly Kiblinger says Obamacare will require the the district to provide health insurance for 328 more of its employees.  That means it'll have to come up with another $1.5 million--most likely by raising property taxes.

Tax related identity theft is a problem that's only getting worse.  It's one of the fastest growing complaints to the Federal Trade Commission. “It makes me feel like what else is out there under my name,” says Mary Payne who went to file her taxes at H&R Block, but quickly discovered there was a problem. “At the end...it's like oh…wait you have a dispute,” Payne said. Someone not only filed using her personal information, they took out a loan on the expected refund.