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Thursday
March 28th, 2024

irmas taxes article

The Internal Revenue Service offers the following advice to taxpayers who want to get a head start on their returns so they make sure they file on time in 2021.

  • Gather and organize your records. Many people rely on a professional to work on their returns, and April is such professionals' busiest time of year. As a result, it's imperative that taxpayers have all their necessary documents ready prior to their appointments. Any delays could force appointments to be rescheduled, and there's no guarantee tax professionals will have any open dates on their calendar as the filing deadline draws closer. The IRS notes taxpayers will need their W-2s from employers, forms 1099 from banks and other payers and other income documents and records of virtual currency transactions. In addition, people who received an Economic Impact Payment in 2020 should make sure they have Notice 1444, which includes the amount of the payment and how it was received, as they will need that to file their returns. It's also important that people who received unemployment income recognize that such income is taxable, so they will need a record of that income, especially if they did not pay taxes on it when it was received.
  • Where applicable, confirm your Individual Taxpayer Identification Number has not expired. The IRS issues ITINs to individuals who are required to have a U.S. taxpayer identification number but who do not have, and are not eligible to obtain, a Social Security number from the Social Security Administration. The IRS notes that all ITINs not used on a federal tax return at least once in the last three years expired on December 31, 2020. In addition, all ITINs issued prior to 2013 with middle digits of 88 expired at the end of 2020. ITINs with middle digits 90, 91, 92, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98 or 99 that were assigned before 2013 and have not already been renewed also expired at the end of 2020.
  • Contact your tax professional. 2020 was a complicated year, and that figures to create some unique challenges as people file their 2020 tax returns. So it pays to contact your tax preparation professional with any questions you have well in advance of April 15. That's true for all taxpayers, but especially so for anyone who filed for unemployment, received an Economic Impact Payment or dealt with any other abnormal circumstances in 2020 that could affect their tax returns.
Liberal Local News

Spring book sale coming to Liberal Memorial Library April 9

spring book sale flyerELLY GRIMM • Leader & Times

 

Those looking to either do some spring cleaning or add to their book collections will soon have the perfect opportunity thanks to Liberal Memorial Library. 

Liberal Memorial Library will be hosting its spring book sale from Tuesday, April 9 through Saturday, April 13 during regular library business hours. April 9 through 11 will see all paperbacks will at $0.50 each and all other items for $1, and April 12 and 13 will be $1 bag and $2 box days. Credit and debit cards will be accepted for payment. 

Liberal Memorial Library Director Royce Kitts said he is excited about the sale this time around, and there will be a lot available.

“This year's book sale is made up of donations from library patrons and older books no longer a part of the library collection,” Kitts said. “Another good reason is that the books in the book sale are new to each sale. We tend to sell or give away all of the books from each sale, and this means that each sale is always a fresh browsing experience. Also new to this spring’s sale will be a plethora of puzzles. Like I’ve said before, the book sale is always great because it’s always nice when someone finds a book by an author they really like and can add to their personal shelves. We don't have an actual bookstore in town, so this is one of the few ways people can find titles beyond what's available at the grocery stores or something you'd have to order or travel to go buy. If you love books, there's going to be something for you at the sale.”

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Special to the Leader & Times

 

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Seward County EMS Director John Ralston talks about some of the activity his department sees on a daily [ ... ]

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Seward County Clerk’s office

 

Candidate filing for Seward County 2024 August Primary

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Liberal Area Sports

EARL WATT • Leader & Times

 

Two first round upsets busted brackets early in the Bracketbuster [ ... ]

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Taylor Harding (4) gets a high five from Lexi Miller after scoring a run against Bucklin Friday. Harding [ ... ]

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The swimming season kicked off at the Northwest Invitational [ ... ]

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Other Interests

NATIONAL HEADLINES

Opinion

Key bills still have a chance to pass

RYCKMAN RECAP, Ron Ryckman, 38th District Senator

 

This last, Week 11, for most committees to meet in the Legislature was kind of different from past years, in that there didn’t seem to be any big “crunch” to get everything done. 

We did work a fair number of bills — particularly in Ag and Fed and State, but used our full hour of meeting time only once — and that without even approving the bill which consumed most of it (SB 446, seeking to limit foreign property ownership) because it had simply become too cumbersome. 

The big news, I suppose, was that both houses held hearings on Medicaid expansion for the first time in four years, yet without moving it out of committee. The House provided some hope that tax relief might have another shot; however, with a two-tier instead of single rate like that adopted by the Senate, there is still a lot of “negotiating” to do to get a finished product that is “veto proof.” We’ll know more after their formal Floor consideration next week, but right now I’m optimistic we can come up with something taxpayers have been waiting on far too long.

Three totally unrelated measures that have generated a lot of constituent interest and do have a good chance of making it through are S Sub HB 2124, dealing with operational enhancement for “little guy” microbreweries; HB 2783, prohibiting government agencies from restricting the sale of motor vehicles based on energy source; and SB 527/HB 2813, making it a crime to coerce a woman into having an abortion. 

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