Oregon Tax News

Oregon Department of Revenue alert to tax filers by Fax

The Oregon Department of Revenue is experiencing an interruption in fax service that has affected taxpayer communications to two of the agency’s key return processing units.

Since Friday afternoon, Revenue has received 644 fax submissions to its Electronic Funds Transfer Unit (EFT) and Suspense Unit that were incomplete due to service problems. “Taxpayers sending the faxes would have every reason to think they had a successful transmission, but we received a distorted or partial image,” Policy and Systems Manager Megan Denison said.

Revenue is asking all taxpayers who recently used the affected lines to resend their faxed information as soon as possible. The agency can identify the senders of about a quarter of the failed faxes and will attempt to contact them, Denison said. Read more…

By Taxpayer Foundation of Oregon,

An analysis of U.S. Census Bureau numbers shows Oregon state & local governments ranking higher than national state average when ranked among other 50 states. Below is a chart showing how Oregon ranks among the 50 states and another on how the District of Columbia ranks. The numbers are based upon Fiscal Year 2009 numbers and lag a few years behind current totals.

Read more…

Important update from the Oreogn Better Business Bureau:

Better Business Bureau warns taxpayers that they are not exempt if their tax returns are prepared improperly by third-party professionals. BBB serving Alaska, Oregon and Western Washington advises consumers to evade unqualified tax preparers:

Designations: All tax professionals should be able to provide proof of credentials. Turn to the Internal Revenue Service for insight on Enrolled Agents or EAs.

Standings: Check for registration status and disciplinary actions through state and federal agencies. Beware of unanswered or unresolved complaints on bbb.org. Read more…

Dept. of Revenue,

Tax season is underway, and the Oregon Department of Revenue would like to remind taxpayers that assistance is available at five district offices throughout the state and the agency’s main office in Salem. Taxpayers can receive help from Revenue employees 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at the following locations:

Bend — 951 SW Simpson Avenue, Suite 100, 541-388-6139
Eugene —1600 Valley River Drive, Suite 310, 541-686-7935
Medford — 3613 Aviation Way, Suite 102, 541-858-6500
Gresham —1550 NW Eastman Parkway, Suite 220, 503-674-6272
Portland — 800 NE Oregon Street, Suite 505, 971-673-0700
Salem — 955 Center Street NE, 503-378-4988 Read more…

Notice of tax assisstance Newberg area:

George Fox University’s Accounting Club is offering free tax preparation and e-filing assistance to local residents. Dates for help sessions are four Saturdays: March 2 and 9 and April 6 and 13.

The Tax-Aide program is designed to help taxpayers prepare their returns. The service is especially geared toward senior citizens, students, individuals with lower incomes, and those who have limited English proficiency. Anyone, however, is eligible for assistance. The only exception is for those whose return is deemed too complicated.

Help will be available from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on each of the dates. All sessions will meet in Rooms 102 and 103, located on the first floor of the university’s Hoover Academic Building. A sign-up sheet will be available 30 minutes before each session. All sessions are first come, first served. Read more…

By Oregon Tax News

In an effort to generate more money, cash-strapped states are turning to two controversial solutions—an Internet retail sales tax and legalizing online gambling.

The Wall Street Journal recently reported that an Internet sales tax, referred to as the Amazon tax, could generate $23 billion for states. Historically, online retailers like Amazon and eBay have relied on a 1992 Supreme Court ruling stating that Internet retailers didn’t have to collect sales taxes if they lacked a physical presence in a customer’s state of residence. As a result, online shopping has grown and consumers have had the luxury of finding deals more cheaply and conveniently online than at the store. The 1992 decision, however, did give Congress the authority to step-in and require companies to levy a sales tax, which it has yet to do. Read more…

The Taxpayer Foundation is recognizing five outstanding students for their essays on their Oregon education experience and opinions.   The diversity of opinions range from authors in the 5th grade to recent college graduates covering a wide breadth of topics from the personal to policy suggestions.   Oregon is honored to have these young and talented voices in our state.   Please enjoy the five top honored essays below.  

Top Winning Essay
By Kattarin Kirk

Public school, private school, home school, charter schools, correspondence schools, online schools, there are so many options in today’s world but what’s the best one? It used to be that there was only one option but now that’s all changed. The question is still there though, which option is best? Does it depend on the individual or is the old saying “one size fits all” still true when it comes to the education of today’s students?

I have a unique perspective on this. My first two years of high school I spent at public school. Some teenagers thrive in social settings while others struggle. Teachers are kept so busy trying to keep control of dozens of students that they have little time to offer one on one attention to any individual. Students requiring extra help are often neglected because of such limited time. Many students fall by the wayside due to lack of resources, self-motivation, and inability to ask for help. Read more…

By Oregon Tax News,

Tim Geithner, U.S. Treasury Secretary, visited Portland in April and held a private meeting with about a dozen CEOs of major corporations. The Portland Business Journal wanted to know what was discussed behind the closed doors. Only one of those CEOs, Benchmade Knife Company’s Les de Asis, spoke to the media afterward—and little was said. According to de Asis, the execs talked with the Treasury Secretary about the economy. Now, the Portland Business Journal has found out a little more by making a public records request and getting a government employee’s handwritten notes on the meeting. Read more…

By Oregon Tax News

The Portland City Council approved a new two percent hotel tax intended to help promote Portland tourism. The assessment applies to hotels with more than 50 rooms and takes effect on Oct. 1, 2012. Called the Portland Tourism Improvement District, the program will raise an estimated $6.6 million annually for tourism advertising, branding, promotions and sponsorships. City officials hope the fund will increase hotel occupancy, which in turn will increase a separate lodging tax collected by the city and county. Read more…

By Oregon Tax News,

Identity thieves are using deceased people’s SSN and use it to claim him as a dependent. Then have the IRS send the ridiculously inflated refund to your prepaid debit card. Thieves spend the refund, and pull the same trick next year. The scam works when the victim died fairly recently. If the victim is still alive, the thief files before he does.

Businessweek reported that five-year-old Benny Waters, who died of a brain tumor in September 2010. When his parents tried to file their tax return last year, it was rejected because someone else had already claimed Benny as a dependent. As Benny’s parents said, the experience was akin to having their son stolen. Yet they are far from the only victims. According to IRS, more than 490,000 people have been victimized by this new fraud, and the overall cost to taxpayers has been more than ten billion. Read more…