Supervisors: No New Taxes

The Upper Southampton Township Board of Supervisors adopted the 2013 budget and approved a new rental fee schedule Tuesday evening.

The Upper Southampton Township Board of Supervisors unanimously adopted the township's 2013 budget Tuesday evening. The budget keeps the real estate tax rate at 21.88 mills, the same as for 2012; trash collection fees will also remain unchanged.   Read: Supervisors Hold Line on Taxes Supervisors also voted to approve a new fee schedule proposed by the parks and recreation board Tuesday evening. This will change the rate schedule for the rental of township facilities.  The new schedule does not account for the time of the proposed rental (i.e. weekday vs. weekend) and instead charges one hourly rate for residents and another for non residents.  You can view a copy of the new rental fee schedule in the pdf section of this article; Click here…

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Taxpayers To Protest 1% Tax Dodgers At Fitzpatrick's Office

Pennsylvania Working Families said the protests are part of the growing wave of voter discontent against the rich, big corporations and politicians who have created an economic emergency for the 99 percent.

  Taxpayers are taking to the streets to demand the 1 percent pay their fair share during a protest on Tax Day, April 17. According to a Pennsylvania Working Families news release, the protests are part of the growing wave of voter discontent against the rich, big corporations and politicians who have created an economic emergency for the 99 percent.  A group of protestors, who last month called on Rep. Fitzpatrick to reject the devastating Ryan Budget and instead support a fair budget for the middle class, will return to his district office in Langhorne on Tuesday at 11 a.m. to find out where he stands with on the Buffett Rule. Local taxpayers will line up outside of Rep. Fitzpatrick’s Langhorne office to share their stories and call of …

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Last Chance: File Your Taxes

The deadline to mail your federal income taxes is Tuesday at midnight.

We are winding down to the final hours, as the deadline looms for Americans to file their federal income tax return. Whether you need to find an accountant or buy some self-preparing software, it's time to stop prolonging the inevitable and get everything ready to send before midnight on Tuesday, April 17.  Joe Ferrari, a professor of psychology from DePaul University, told NPR that the biggest reason people file at the last minute is that they are just chronic procrastinators.   "I think part of the problem is there's no incentive to file early," Ferrari told NPR, especially if you owe money. The Southampton Post Office will not be offering extended hours on Tuesday, but will be open until 5 p.m.   Worst case scenario: you can file for a …

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Area Volunteers Provide Free Tax Help

The Philadelphia-area RSVP program is helping people in the area prepare simple tax returns free of charge.

Volunteers from the Retired Senior & Volunteer Program (RSVP) are offering to help people in the area to prepare simple tax returns and other documents free of charge at the Klein JCC in Northeast Philadelphia. Marcia Gross, project director for the Philadelphia area’s RSVP program, said area people who are interested in receiving help are required to have incomes of $60,000 or below, have all their documentation including their W-2’s and other investment income and tax forms and must make a reservation in advance before they come to the Klein JCC for help. Reservations can be made by calling 267-345-7787 or emailing mgross@kleinjcc.org.  RSVP provides volunteers 55-years and older, working or retired, with an opportunity to help out in …

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Congressman Comments on Tax Relief Extension

“This new bill protects Pennsylvania families and small businesses in the short term, while providing for my goal of a long-term extension,” Fitzpatrick said.

U.S. Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick (R-8th) issued the following statement on the extension of middle class tax relief: “I have supported, and will continue to support, a long-term extension of the important middle class tax relief, unemployment insurance, and a two-year extension of predictable reimbursements for physicians so that they can continue to provide medical care for seniors.  This is a matter of good public policy and not of politics.” “In light of the Senate’s failure to return from their holiday vacation and negotiate a full-year extension of these measures, however, an agreement has been reached to ensure that taxes are not raised on middle-class families on January 1st and to prevent small businesses from being burdened by …

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Supervisors: No New Taxes for Southampton

The Board of Supervisors adopted the township's 2012 budget Tuesday night.

Centennial School Board Tables Contract Vote

Board members agreed to delay voting on the proposed contract until some outstanding questions could be answered.

The Centennial School Board unanimously agreed to postpone voting on a new contract for the district's teachers at their meeting Tuesday evening. After stopping the meeting for a brief executive session discussion with representatives from the teacher's union, the board approved a motion to table the  vote in the hopes of having some outstanding questions answered. "In the spirit of ongoing communications between CEA and the board, both sides are taking the time to review the information that was just given to us last night," said Board Member Cyndi Muller. The vote on the proposed contract was placed on the board's agenda late last week, after School Board President Andrew Pollock had received word that a majority of the district's …

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Centennial Searches for $1.7 Million

The district’s 2011-12 budget remains unbalanced; administrators seek public input for ways to remedy the situation without cutting programs or grossly increasing taxes.

With the state’s deadline for budget submission quickly approaching, the Finance Committee of the Centennial School Board has called a special meeting to discuss the options for making the numbers work. When the initial draft of the district’s 2011-12 budget was unveiled back in December, administrators were proposing a substantial tax hike, approximately 7 mills, in an attempt to balance a rather large deficit. This initial proposal was drafted in hopes of a favorable consideration regarding funding from the state. But this favorable outlook for funding did not materialize, and board members have said the proposal by Governor Corbett stands to move approximately 2.1 million in revenues away from the district’s 2011-2012 budget. Currently…

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From the Stacks

Finding IRS Forms Doesn't Have to be Taxing

Tax time is upon us. Southampton Free Library Director Kim Ingram tells how your local library can help.

It’s that time of year, time to deal with the gloomy task of our taxes. What do taxes have to do with your local library, you say? First off, we are one of the few places you can pick up actual paper forms. We carry most of the commonly used Federal, State and Local forms, and if we don’t carry them, our reference staff is more than happy to help look up any forms online. Secondly, if you need help filing forms, AARP has supplied us with volunteers to help with filing tax forms. Their focus is on patrons with middle to low income and who are over 60 years of age. They are available Thursdays from 10-2 until April 7th. Appointments are required. For more information, or to make an appointment, please contact our reference desk at 215-322-…

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Top 10 Tax Tips from the IRS

It's that time again.

The Internal Revenue Service recently announced a three-day filing extension for all taxpayers in 2011 due to a District of Columbia holiday—Emancipation Day—falling on April 15. Taxpayers will have until Monday, April 18 to submit their federal and state taxes. Those who request extensions will have until Oct. 17 to file. This year, however, a number of people—such as those who itemize deductions—will have to wait until mid-February to file because of the end-of-year federal tax law changes. The IRS has offered its top 10 tax tips, which should give taxpayers something to do during the wait.

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