Business in brief: Free tax help still available
Free tax help still is available around Spokane County as Tax Day looms.
Volunteers with AARP’s Tax-Aide program can fill out forms, help determine whether residents are eligible for special economic stimulus payments or even file electronically at most locations.
Locations and times vary throughout the week, with no service on Sundays and help ending April 15. For location details, call 2-1-1, or (866) 904-9060 from a cell phone, or visit www.refundpathways.org.
To receive help, taxpayers need proof of identity, copies of all W-2s and other tax forms, Social Security or taxpayer numbers for all people to be listed and other key information.
People filing solely to qualify for a stimulus rebate have until Oct. 15 to file and be issued a check this year.
Low- and moderate-income taxpayers also may apply for funds to match up to $200 in rebate money that recipients commit to a savings account. Recipients must keep the money in the account for three months, and take five hours of financial classes. To apply, call Spokane Neighborhood Action Programs at (509) 456-7174.
– Parker Howell
Spokane
Live Webcast of ‘China Town Hall’
Gonzaga University will host a viewing of the Webcast “China Town Hall: Local Connections, National Reflections,” with a discussion to follow, starting at 4 p.m., Thursday in the Jundt Art Museum’s Jundt Auditorium.
The event, sponsored by the World Affairs Council of Spokane and the Gonzaga Environmental Studies Program, is free to the public. The event will occur simultaneously in 40 cities across the nation, offering Spokane residents a chance to gain an overview of China’s relationship with the United States, then have questions answered by China specialists.
The live Webcast will feature political analyst Norman J. Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute discussing China-U.S. issues that will likely figure in the 2008 presidential and Congressional elections. Ornstein will also respond to questions from audience members nationwide in a conversation moderated by Stephen A. Orlins, president of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations.
Following the national portion of the program, Daniella Salaverry, co-director of Pacific Environment’s China Program, will speak on “China’s Environmental Challenges and the Country’s Growing Environmental Movement.” Salaverry’s comments will start at 5 p.m.
The National Committee on U.S.-China Relations is a national, nonpartisan public affairs group devoted to building constructive and durable relationships between the United States and China.
– Tom Sowa
State site only place to apply
The Idaho Department of Labor is alerting workers about scam Web sites that charge to link unemployed workers to the official – and free – state Internet site for filing unemployment claims.
The department’s Web site – http://labor.idaho.gov – is Idaho’s official source of information about unemployment benefits and the only place to apply online for benefits. There is no charge to use this site.
– Staff reports