Tax Forms

TAXPAYERS wanting a variety of federal tax forms and instructions beyond what banks and libraries stock can get that, and advice, at the Fallon Federal Building in Charles Center. As ++ always.But they must go through security worthy of an airport. Keys and metal in the basket. Walk through a metal detector. Show ID with picture. All to pick up IRS forms in the lobby.There may be good reason for security, i.e., the Oklahoma City bombing. Still, the Internal Revenue Service should be able to find ways to make the more exotic forms available for pickup without the security and invasion of privacy.

At some Baltimore-area tax preparation offices, deadline day was proving anticlimactic. The big rush had come not on Tax Day but in early February, said Vince Williams, manager of Liberty Tax on East Coldspring Lane. The deadline for both federal and Maryland income taxes is Monday. "It's been a weird tax season," Williams said Monday morning. "Everyone started late because of the fiscal cliff. " Because of the last-minute tax deal to avert the fiscal cliff, the Internal Revenue Service was delayed in releasing some tax forms.

As homeowners begin to prepare their 1991 tax returns they should take special note of new rules and forms if they have a home office, if they have an annual income of more than $100,000 or if they refinanced a mortgage last year.Those who operate a home-based business or profession, for instance, will have to disclose far more when calculating allowable office expenses on a new form tied to Schedule C.The homeowner with an adjusted gross income of more than $100,000 will face a change that limits the value of the time-honored deductions for mortgage interest and property taxes.

Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller said he'll back John Delaney's bid to win in sixth Congressional District -- but he'd also like to see the candidate's income tax forms. "The fact is it is over, and people spoke," Miller said. "I'm going to support Mr. Delaney and I hope he is victorious. " Delaney thumped Miller favorite Rob Garagiola in yesterday's Democratic primary. The district was redrawn in October with Garagiola in mind, but his campaign faltered -- and never put an ad on TV. During the hotly contested primary race, Garagiola released his income tax forms for the past 10 years.

State Comptroller Louis L. Goldstein announced that he has eliminated some tax forms previously required of Maryland's individual and business taxpayers. He is allowing an additional 1.9 million tax forms to be processed by private agencies.Some of the eliminated tax forms involve federal Schedule A and child-care expense forms that Maryland taxpayers were required return to the comptroller's office with their state tax returns.Mr. Goldstein said he moved last week to reduce demands on taxpayers and to reduce the workload of his office, which he said was hampered by budget cuts in hiring temporary employees.

WASHINGTON -- Merry Christmas from the IRS.Your 1990 federal income-tax forms will be mailed to you Dec. 28, two days later than usual, "basically to move it away from the Christmas holiday, allow folks to enjoy it as long as they can before we throw a wet blanket on them," said Art Altman, IRS director of tax forms.The big winners from this year's tax-form changes will be about 4.5 million retirees who claim no itemized deductions. This year, for the first time, they can file an adapted short form, the 1040A, instead of the regular 1040 long form.

Bah, humbug. With Christmas such a recent memory that toys are still unassembled and puppies yet to be named, state and federal tax officials assembled yesterday to kick off the tax season.Beginning next week, 2 million residents of Maryland should receive their annual New Year's greeting from the government: 1993 tax forms.Officials said tax forms and rules are mostly the same as last year's and urged consumers to file their returns electronically."This year's forms are not significantly different than last year's," Paul Harrington, district director for the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, said yesterday at a news conference.

Four times a year, Jennifer Proud Mearns does the right thing. She fills out the federal tax forms for the nanny who cares for her two young children.Then she tackles the state and city filings, and, finally, the forms to cover withholding from the nanny's paycheck. In all, four sets of paperwork each quarter."I'm already starting to get a headache thinking about filing at the end of this month," says Ms. Mearns, who works as a marketing executive in Manhattan. "It's a nightmare."A bill intended to streamline the process, which was passed by Congress this month and is awaiting the president's signature, will ease the burden, though many argue it does not go far enough.

WASHINGTON -- Whoever said tax collectors aren't big-hearted?Your 1990 federal income tax forms will be mailed to you Dec. 28, two days later than usual, "basically to move it away from the Christmas holiday, allow folks to enjoy it as long as they can before we throw a wet blanket on them," said Art Altman, IRS director of tax forms.Merry Christmas from the IRS.The big winners from this year's tax-form changes will be about 4.5 million retirees who claim no itemized deductions. This year, for the first time, they may file an adapted short form, the 1040A, instead of the regular 1040 long form.

Thousands of taxpayers celebrated Procrastinator's Night yesterday -- an unofficial holiday marked by long lines in and around Baltimore's main post office in the crush to beat the midnight deadline for filing federal and state returns.They came by car and truck, taxi and bus, motorcycle and 10-speed bike, some even walking on crutches, braving bumper-to-bumper madness on East Fayette Street, outside the only postal facility in the metropolitan area open until the Internal Revenue Service witching hour.

Want to give to the Maryland Cancer Fund? Officials have made it easy this year. You just have to check a Line 37 on your state tax form and fill in the amount. The money will get deducted from your refund or added to you bill. The contribution is also t ax deductible. The fund provides cancer prevention, detection and treatment programs. "Cancer is the second leading cause of death in Maryland," said Dr. Joshua M. Sharfstein, secretary of the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene , in a statement. "Giving to the Maryland Cancer Fund is a great way to help your community.

Workers at the city's main post office on Fayette Street were prepping Thursday morning for the annual late-night Tax Day rush, albeit a more casual version than that of a decade ago. On April 15 back then, the hours leading up to midnight took on a carnival-like feel. "Years ago, when there was only mailing, we'd have IRS people in the lobby helping people fill out forms," said William Ridenour, postmaster of Baltimore. "We'd have people coming in with a box of receipts doing their tax forms at 11 at night.

The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program with the Anne Arundel County Department of Aging and Disabilities needs volunteers to help low- to moderate-income people who cannot prepare their own tax forms. Training will be offered. Information: Kim Quillet at 410-222-6717.

I 've always prided myself on my ability to count my family members. This is because I'm at the life stage where people come and go - I have two college students who often have different schedules. I also have a high school son who frequently stays after school for enriching activities to put on his college application resume, such as the Sherpa Knot-Tying Club, the Musical Instrument Disassembling Society and the Students for Cryptic Texting. Most nights I very quickly - in my head - assess who is going to be home for dinner, and I have a 100 percent accuracy rate.

The mega-bailout package for Wall Street also contains about $150 billion in tax breaks for the rest of us. Some are new, but many are tax breaks that had either lapsed or were near expiration and given another year or more of life. Among them are credits for buying an electric car, deductions for college tuition and changes that will spare millions of families from the alternative minimum tax. Your broker will have new reporting requirements when securities are sold, but that might end up costing you more in taxes.

They say that nothing is certain but death and taxes (or depending on your religion, taxes.)Free help filling forms and filing taxes is provided to senior citizens at the Savage Library every Monday from Feb. 1 to April 12, from 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. To schedule an appointment, call (410) 313-7213. You'll need last year's return and your current tax information.If you just need tax forms, Jean Salkeld, who is usually at the children's desk, has placed them in file folders in the lobby. Get your forms early, as the library does run out. If the form you need isn't in the lobby files, the library has the 1992 reproducible tax-form book.

It's that season again.No, not cold-and-flu season.But tax-form season. (Believe what you may, but the two are not synonymous.)Marylanders should now be receiving their federal and state income-tax booklets in the mail. And while both have some new features, the state and federal agencies that collect those taxes say they have boosted service to make the whole process easier for taxpayers."Taxpayer service continues to be of paramount importance to us. We don't have any merchandise to sell, so what we [offer]