Refund

Tax season is upon us, and if you're like me, you still haven't crunched the numbers but are hoping for a nice refund. Good news, the odds are in your favor. According to stats posted on the IRS website, 76 percent of Americans filing individual income tax returns get refunds, and the average refund is around $3,000. One way to put that cash to good use is to reinvest in your home. After all, a big chunk of the refund may be coming from your mortgage interest deduction. But just how far will that $3,000 get you?

When Anne Arundel County Sheriff Ron Bateman first suggested withholding state tax refunds from people who have open warrants nearly three years ago, critics said it was a foolish pursuit. "One of the criticisms I got was, 'How many criminals have jobs where they are going to get a tax refund?'" he recalled. He couldn't say. Now he can. "There were 396," he told the County Council during a recent budget hearing. This past tax season - the first with the program fully in effect - that's the number of letters the state comptroller's office sent, telling people if they wanted their money, they'd have to clear their open Anne Arundel County warrants.

You may not necessarily think about the Ravens and romance together, but if Baltimore's beloved birds shut out the San Francisco 49ers this Super Bowl Sunday, you'll wish you had. Baltimore-area Saxon's Diamond Centers is offering a refund on purchases up to $5,000 if the Ravens shut out the 49ers. Visit either Saxon's location in Bel Air or Aberdeen between now and Saturday, Feb. 2, buy that engagement ring or diamond necklace you've been eyeing and, if San Francisco doesn't score during the game, you get your money back.

When I first heard about the rain tax ("Anger grows over stormwater fees," April 16), I laughed. Not because of the increase in living costs, or the fact that were being taxed on an uncontrollable environmental factor, it's the fact that Gov. Martin O'Malley got away with doing it. This bill has allowed legislators to cross into a new territory of taxes which makes me wonder if summer will have a tax next year due to the increased temperature causing...

The Orioles have announced a ticket refund policy for their exhibition games against Philadelphia and Colorado, originally scheduled for this weekend. Fans who bought tickets by mail or phone and have not received them will receive a refund or credit automatically.Customers who have received tickets from the Orioles or Ticketmaster may exchange them for tickets to future home games at the Orioles' ticket office or any Orioles Baseball Store. No refunds will be issued at Ticketmaster outlets.

Maryland's Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation said Friday that a Massachusetts debt management company has agreed to refund about $55,000 in fees to more than 800 Maryland clients. American Consumer Credit Counseling, which is licensed to do business here by state regulators, violated Maryland law by adding on fees for a financial education program and newsletter, state regulators said. The fees ranged from $39 to $114 for education and $2 a month for a newsletter. Maryland's debt management law prohibits add-on fees.

In the capitalist-communist People's Republic of China, people encounter problems returning products that stink. In our capitalist-democracy of the United States of America, a refund on stinky products is an honored business practice. An overt sense of fairness is the glue of invisible integrity that hinges an economy based on spending. If you buy it and it stinks, you return it and get your money back. No questions asked. In the U.S. economy, one cannot sell snake oil and call it orange juice.

For Joe Stumpf, it appears persistence has paid off: The city has promised to refund him the $40 fine he paid after receiving an erroneous speed camera ticket. It took the city Department of Transportation 10 weeks - during which time Stumpf fired off several emails - but the agency told him Wednesday he could expect a check in the next couple of weeks. “I tell you, it's been frustrating,” said Stumpf, who lives in Anne Arundel County and works as a machinist near M&T Bank Stadium.

News that Nike is dropping its sponsorship of tainted cyclist Lance Armstrong brought me back to one of the most poignant sections of his first book, "It's Not About the Bike. " Armstrong described the aftermath of his testicular cancer diagnosis in 1996, as corporate sponsors decided he was no longer worth bankrolling. Nike was one of the few sponsors to stand by Armstrong as he recuperated -- despite the possibility that he would never race again. He vowed to be loyal when he returned to competition -- and forged a deep, mutually beneficial partnership with Nike as he won seven Tour de France titles.

Orioles season-ticket holders with tickets marked "Game D" for the coming American League Championship Series should hold their tickets for a refund, because there will not be a fourth game in Baltimore.Game D tickets would have been used if the Orioles had won the American League East title. Those holding Game D tickets can )) go to any NationsBank branch between Oct. 21 and Nov. 30 for a full refund.Fans who have purchased tickets are reminded to use them in the following sequence:Game A tickets are for tomorrow at 8 p.m. That is the first game played in Baltimore and Game 3 of the ALCS.

A Florida insurance company has repaid $312,551 to thousands of Marylanders after overcharging them on life and health benefits, the Maryland Insurance Administration said Monday. The state insurance regulator said it told Life of the South Insurance Co. in Jacksonville in 2010 to reduce certain premium rates between Nov. 1, 2010, and Dec. 31, 2011. The insurance regulator discovered during its regular oversight process last year that Life of the South hadn't lowered the rates as required, according to the agency.

Law enforcement officials are watching a test program in Anne Arundel County that entices people with open criminal warrants to turn themselves in — so they can get their state tax refunds. Thus far, the results of dangling a refund as bait have stunned the sheriff who pitched the one-year pilot project. "If I had gotten 10, that would be good, too. But 134? That's huge," said Sheriff Ron Bateman. "It's baseball season, and this is a grand slam. " Under the measure adopted last year, and which went into practical effect with the current tax season, the comptroller's office blocks Maryland tax refunds of residents of Anne Arundel County, and others, who have unserved warrants in Anne Arundel.

For Joe Stumpf, it appears persistence has paid off: The city has promised to refund him the $40 fine he paid after receiving an erroneous speed camera ticket. It took the city Department of Transportation 10 weeks - during which time Stumpf fired off several emails - but the agency told him Wednesday he could expect a check in the next couple of weeks. “I tell you, it's been frustrating,” said Stumpf, who lives in Anne Arundel County and works as a machinist near M&T Bank Stadium.

Money's a good motivator, Anne Arundel County Sheriff Bateman said Friday. A state law that just took effect has the Comptroller's Office withholding Maryland tax refunds of residents of Anne Arundel County or people who have an outstanding warrant in the county. In the first week, 110 letters were mailed, and 10 people turned themselves in or otherwise cleared up their warrant situation, the sheriff said. "It's easy fishing,” said Bateman,  who had approached Comptroller Peter Franchot with the idea.

You may not necessarily think about the Ravens and romance together, but if Baltimore's beloved birds shut out the San Francisco 49ers this Super Bowl Sunday, you'll wish you had. Baltimore-area Saxon's Diamond Centers is offering a refund on purchases up to $5,000 if the Ravens shut out the 49ers. Visit either Saxon's location in Bel Air or Aberdeen between now and Saturday, Feb. 2, buy that engagement ring or diamond necklace you've been eyeing and, if San Francisco doesn't score during the game, you get your money back.

Tax season officially kicks off Wednesday, later than usual because lawmakers only this month passed legislation to address expired tax cuts. The IRS needed time to update its forms and systems. Not a problem for procrastinators, but a problem for others used to the tax season starting in mid-January. "It is very painful and very inconvenient" for early filers counting on refunds to pay off holiday credit card bills or other debt, said Mark Steber, chief tax officer for Jackson Hewitt Tax Service.

Fans holding tickets to strike-canceled Orioles games can exchange them next season for tickets to 1995 games or get a refund by mail or at some area banks.The team said yesterday that after Sept. 1, fans can mail tickets for any canceled August home game to: Baltimore Orioles, P.O. Box 29937, Baltimore, Md. 21230-0937. The tickets should be sent by certified mail, and should include the fan's name, address and telephone number.Fans also can get refunds for August game tickets after Sept.

In the capitalist-communist People's Republic of China, people encounter problems returning products that stink. In our capitalist-democracy of the United States of America, a refund on stinky products is an honored business practice. An overt sense of fairness is the glue of invisible integrity that hinges an economy based on spending. If you buy it and it stinks, you return it and get your money back. No questions asked. In the U.S. economy, one cannot sell snake oil and call it orange juice.

In a decision that could have implications for how show and sports tickets are sold in Baltimore, the state's highest court ruled Friday that service fees charged by Ticketmaster amount to scalping — setting up the possibility that people who attended some events might ultimately be eligible for refunds. The ruling, which stems from a class action lawsuit brought in federal court in 2011, relies on an obscure 1948 Baltimore ordinance rushed through the City Council to curb scalping of Navy football tickets.