Tax Questions

Lillie Chappell was up about $50, then down about the same, and was into her third hour playing a video game — pressing a button on the computer screen and watching tumbling four-leaf clovers, bars, horseshoes, numeral sevens. Compared with slot machines she'd played at Delaware Park, she said this was "pretty much the same. " Chappell, a retiree from Catonsville, wasn't playing at a casino but in a game room at Patapsco Bingo in Baltimore — one of several that have opened in the area in the past year offering cash winnings on computer games.

Regarding the Internet sales tax ("Online sales tax bill should be improved, and passed," May 16), I suppose that if I go to Delaware and purchase something and since I am from Maryland, shouldn't that retailer charge and forward the sales tax? What difference does it make whether I purchase it there and have my wife carry it and bring it to Maryland or have UPS carry it? It's still mine. I purchased it, and I suppose it should be taxed. I also suppose it should be my moral responsibility to tell the retailer, "I'm from Maryland so charge me tax. Here, check my I.D., and forward the tax to Maryland.

Stymied by an arcane tax rule? Not sure if you qualify for a deduction? Get answers to your tax questions on Thursday at noon on Consuming Interests. We'll hold an online chat with Mark Steber of Jackson Hewitt. You can pose your questions then, or send it in advance on the comment section. Or send it to me directly at eileen.ambrose@baltsun.com . I know there are still questions out there about the homebuyer credit because people still ask about it. So all those homeowners wondering if they qualify for the credit or need to pay it back, now's your chance to get the answer.

Lillie Chappell was up about $50, then down about the same, and was into her third hour playing a video game — pressing a button on the computer screen and watching tumbling four-leaf clovers, bars, horseshoes, numeral sevens. Compared with slot machines she'd played at Delaware Park, she said this was "pretty much the same. " Chappell, a retiree from Catonsville, wasn't playing at a casino but in a game room at Patapsco Bingo in Baltimore — one of several that have opened in the area in the past year offering cash winnings on computer games.

Hey folks, remember that we will have a live chat at noon on the blog with Mark Steber, chief tax officer with Jackson Hewitt Tax Service. So if you’re not sure whether you qualify for a deduction or stymied by some IRS lingo, now’s the chance to ask your questions and get answers from a pro. See you at noon!   Live chat: Income tax Q-and-A

Readers can submit questions about preparing their 2006 tax returns at www.baltimoresun.com/taxtalk. Members of the Hunt Valley accounting firm SC&H Group will answer questions.

Nearly half of taxpayers have yet to file their federal tax returns, although the deadline is just about two weeks away. Many of them are holding off to the last minute because they owe taxes, of course. But some likely are waiting for answers. The U.S. tax code grows more complicated each year, often leaving taxpayers uncertain about whether they qualify for deductions or not. And a bumpy economy has left many taxpayers yearning for bigger refunds. So this year tax professionals say they are fielding more questions than ever about debt, the homebuyer credit, Roth IRA conversions and any obscure deductions filers could be overlooking.

Hey folks, remember that we will have a live chat at noon on the blog with Mark Steber, chief tax officer with Jackson Hewitt Tax Service. So if you’re not sure whether you qualify for a deduction or stymied by some IRS lingo, now’s the chance to ask your questions and get answers from a pro. See you at noon!   Live chat: Income tax Q-and-A

Stymied by an arcane tax rule? Not sure if you qualify for a deduction? Get answers to your tax questions on Thursday at noon on Consuming Interests. We'll hold an online chat with Mark Steber of Jackson Hewitt. You can pose your questions then, or send it in advance on the comment section. Or send it to me directly at eileen.ambrose@baltsun.com . I know there are still questions out there about the homebuyer credit because people still ask about it. So all those homeowners wondering if they qualify for the credit or need to pay it back, now's your chance to get the answer.

The Internal Revenue Service will open its doors Saturday in Baltimore and four other Maryland locations to help individuals and small businesses with return preparation or other tax issues, such as working out a payment plan. The Taxpayer Assistance Centers will be open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The sites are 31 Hopkins Plaza in Baltimore, 190 Admiral Cochran Drive in Annapolis, 1260 Maryland Ave. in Hagerstown, 11510 Georgia Ave. in Wheaton and 8401 Corporate Drive in Landover.

A property tax credit meant to lure new residents to Baltimore and spur development in impoverished neighborhoods instead rewards current city dwellers who inhabit booming parts of the city, according to a report issued by the city's Finance Department. In the past nine months, 75 percent of the applications for the program, called the Newly Constructed Dwelling Tax Credit, came from 10 neighborhoods, according to the finance data. Forty percent of the credits went to households earning more than $100,000 a year.

It's coming down to the wire - your income taxes must be filed by April 15. Get the answers to any of those last- minute questions during a live online chat with Internal Revenue Service representative Jim Dupree at 11 a.m. Friday on the Consuming Interests blog at www.baltimoresun.com/consuminginterests. You can submit questions in advance on the blog or send them to eileen.ambrose@baltsun.com.

Last week's column about the IRS trying to clear up confusion over the tax rebates generated still more questions from readers. This week, the IRS is making another effort to get the word out on rebates, which are part of new legislation to help the economy. Beginning this week and continuing for the next two, the IRS will mail letters to more than 130 million taxpayers to remind them to file a 2007 tax return. That's one of the requirements for getting a tax rebate. The agency will follow up in late March with another letter to certain recipients of Social Security and Veterans Affairs benefits.

Tax season is just around the corner. Are you wondering whether or not to worry about the alternative minimum tax? Are you scratching your head about how to claim your gambling losses? Are you tearing your hair out about what in tarnation the earned income tax credit is and how you might qualify? Take a deep breath. There's help available and the best part is, you don't even have to pay for it. The Internal Revenue Service offers help by computer, telephone and in person - whether you need the right forms, publications or just answers on a wide range of questions.