Tax Returns

Under the Maryland Dream Act, students who want to attend our community colleges or public universities at the in-state tuition rate must have attended a Maryland high school for at least three years. They must prove that their families filed state income tax returns during that time, and they or their families must file returns each year that the student attends college. Because the Dream Act was written for illegal immigrants, you might be wondering how this can be. Since when do such people pay income taxes?

For taxpayers who work best under the pressure of a deadline ... well, that's now. Returns must be filed by the end of Monday. But there's always a risk when scrambling to get returns in under the wire. You might make a mistake or overlook a valuable tax break. To avoid that, here are some tips for last-minute filers: File for free: The Internal Revenue Service partners with tax preparation companies to provide free online filing of federal returns if your adjusted gross income is $57,000 or less.

It's not a sin to be rich, but how you got that way may make it so. Mitt Romney will not share his tax returns from the last 10 years even though his dad, Michigan Gov. George Romney, did when he was running for president. Is Mitt hiding something? Why not tell us if he has offshore accounts? How can someone wish to lead this country when he won't open his tax returns to prove he hasn't done anything questionable? If someone who avoids paying taxes on offshore accounts, rather then pay his fair share, wants to be president he should be honest with us about it. Lois Raimondi Munchel, Forest Hill

Harford County Executive David Craig recently helped officially kick off this year's AARP Tax-Aide Program, which provides free tax assistance for senior citizens and people of any age with low to moderate income. Clients do not have to be AARP members to participate. Appointments may be scheduled by calling 410-638-3425 or 410-322-2735. The appointment office is staffed by AARP volunteers and will be open from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Appointments must be made in advance through the above numbers.

Liberty Tax, 8851 Gorman Road, Suite 600, will offer complimentary tax return services to special groups during Appreciation Weeks, Feb. 20 through March 11. Military/Vets Appreciation Week is Feb. 20 through 26; Teacher Appreciation Week is Feb. 27 through March 4; and Police and Firefighter Appreciation Week is March 5 through 11. For information, call 301-483-8626.

In his effort to be chosen as Sen. John McCain's running mate in the 2008 presidential election, Mitt Romney submitted 23 years of his tax returns to the McCain campaign - after which the senator and his staff rejected Mr. Romney and picked Sarah Palin instead. That decision ought to tell the American people something about Senator McCain's opinion of Mr. Romney as a potential president, about the contents of Mr. Romney's tax returns, or both. The minimum requirement for anyone asking Americans to give them the authority and responsibility of the world's most powerful position is to be completely open about their careers, their policies and their financial interests.

Updated with reaction from Delaney campaign.  State Sen. Rob Garagiola, a Democrat running for Congress in Maryland's 6th District, released a decade's worth of federal income tax returns Thursday and challenged other candidates in the race to do the same. The records show that Garagiola and his wife reported earning $203,674 in total income in 2010, claimed $18,250 in exemptions and paid $29,166 in federal income tax. The bulk of the family's gross income, $114,642, came from Garagiola's work as an attorney for the Rockville-based firm Stein Sperling.

If Mitt Romney wants to shut Sen. Harry Reid up once and for all and prove him to be the dirty liar he claims he is, all he has to do is release his tax returns for the last 10 years ("Romney tax return battle sparks 'dirty' accusation," Aug. 6). President Barack Obama finally showed everyone his birth certificate after all, even though it was only kooks like Donald Trump who were asking to see it. So what is Mitt waiting for? He's only making himself look as if he's hiding something.

Letter writer Roger Kostmayer says of calls for Mitt Romney to release his tax returns that "the minimum requirement," for candidates for high office "is to be completely open about their careers, their policies and their financial interests. " Shouldn't the same be said about Barack Obama? The one hid his birth certificate and who won't release college records? I would bet if President Obama released all his information Mr. Romney would do the same. Clay Seeley, Owings Mills

Tax season is officially here, with the Internal Revenue Service and state of Maryland starting Tuesday to accept electronically filed returns. This is a good year for procrastinators. April 15 — the traditional due date for returns — falls on a Sunday and the following Monday is Emancipation Day, a holiday celebrated in Washington. This pushes the deadline to April 17. But this is also a leap year, so Feb. 29 gives us one more day to ponder our taxes. Many filers could use the extra time.

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.

Vocal competition Applications for the 25th annual Annapolis Opera Vocal Competition are being accepted at annapolisopera.org . Applicants must complete the form and submit a CD containing three to five arias by midnight Feb. 12. Applicants must be between the ages of 20 and 35, as of April 1, and be residents, students or working in Maryland, Delaware, Washington, Pennsylvania, Virginia or West Virginia. Students at Westminster Choir College in New Jersey, or Rutgers University at New Brunswick, N.J., are also eligible.

Maryland's Comptroller Peter Franchot this morning released a statement, refuting a report in the Washington Time's that same-sex couples won't be able to file joint returns in Maryland. Voters here recently approved same-sex marriage in Maryland, which takes effect next year. The story apparently was picked up by the Associated Press: “ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - The Maryland comptroller's office says same-sex married couples will not be permitted to file joint tax returns in the state.

When Anne Arundel County Executive John R. Leopold returned his automatic pay raise in solidarity with county workers, he also entitled himself to an income tax deduction. Leopold says he declined it. Because the returns technically amount to a donation to Anne Arundel County government, they could have entitled him to a bigger refund on his taxes. But that extra money would also have meant breaking a promise not to take a raise if the government could not afford one for county workers.

Under the Maryland Dream Act, students who want to attend our community colleges or public universities at the in-state tuition rate must have attended a Maryland high school for at least three years. They must prove that their families filed state income tax returns during that time, and they or their families must file returns each year that the student attends college. Because the Dream Act was written for illegal immigrants, you might be wondering how this can be. Since when do such people pay income taxes?

When Mitt Romney says that 47 percent of the people in this country accept and expect government handouts, he should be including himself and many of his party in that 47 percent. He's ignoring all the corporate welfare he and his wealthy cronies have received. He's also forgetting about all the tax loopholes that are in place - some in very gray areas - to ensure he has a much lower tax rate than salaried people do. Tax returns, Mitt? Then there is Michele Bachmann's family who happily accept hundreds of thousands of dollars in farm subsidies.

A Salisbury man who masterminded a tax fraud scheme to support his drug habit was sentenced yesterday by an Anne Arundel County Circuit judge to seven years in prison, the limit under his plea agreement.Bruce E. White, 42, prepared more than 300 fake Maryland income tax returns over three years, winning $63,000 in refunds by making phony W-2 forms, claiming wages and withholding sums for unemployed friends.About two-thirds of his filings were denied when a comptroller's office worker became suspicious about similar spelling errors and handwriting in a number of tax returns from the Eastern Shore.

An Anne Arundel councilman was sentenced to five months in federal prison Monday on a charge that he failed to file nearly three dozen personal and business tax returns over a six-year period. Councilman Daryl D. Jones, a Democrat from Severn who is a practicing criminal defense attorney, was also sentenced to one year of supervised probation and six months of home detention during an emotionally charged hearing held in U.S. District Court in Baltimore. "This has been an extremely embarrassing and humbling experience," said Jones, speaking to the judge.