[StBernard] IRS Responds to La. Delegation, Plans Town Hall Meetings to Clarify Road Home Tax Requirements

Westley Annis Westley at da-parish.com
Thu Mar 13 18:28:01 EDT 2008


IRS Responds to La. Delegation, Plans Town Hall Meetings to Clarify Road
Home Tax Requirements

Landrieu continues to push for permanent fix.



WASHINGTON - In response to a letter from five members of the Louisiana
delegation, the IRS has scheduled six town hall meetings in South Louisiana
to help hurricane survivors and Certified Public Accountants (CPA) file 2007
taxes. Tax filing for 2007 is unusually complicated in hurricane-affected
areas of Louisiana because the IRS has determined that taxpayers who took a
casualty loss in 2005 and received a Road Home grant must add the casualty
loss amount to their 2007 income. Many homeowners are pushed into a higher
tax bracket and as a result, are now required to pay taxes far greater than
their 2005 deduction.

"I am pleased the IRS has agreed to these town halls to help Louisianians
facing steep tax bills and confusion over filing their taxes," Sen. Landrieu
said. "While these meetings are a solid beginning, Congress still must act
soon on my bill to get this unfair tax burden off the backs of homeowners
struggling to rebuild."

Last month, United States Senators Mary L. Landrieu, D-La., and David
Vitter, R-La., and Congressmen Charles W. Boustany, R-La., Charlie Melancon,
D-La., and William J. Jefferson, D-La., wrote Acting IRS Commissioner Linda
E. Stiff asking for six measures to help Louisianians grappling with their
taxes. The town hall meetings scheduled for this month and next in New
Orleans, Houma and Lake Charles will help clarify filing questions from
citizens and CPAs.

Sen. Landrieu and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont.,
yesterday announced that tax relief for Road Home recipients is part of a
key 2009 Budget Resolution amendment that is likely to come to a floor vote
Thursday. If the Senate approves the amendment, it will reflect the
chamber's intent to get rid of the unfair tax.

In addition to the town hall meetings, the delegation's letter also
requested more IRS caseworkers in the hurricane-impacted cities and a
toll-free hotline dedicated solely to the Road Home tax. The IRS has yet to
act on these requests.

The schedule of IRS town halls is attached.

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Schedule of Town Hall Meetings for Individuals & Practitioners





Place Date
Location Time

NEW ORLEANS
(Tentative)
Practitioners Monday, March 24th East Bank Jefferson Library
11:30-1:00
___________________________________________________________________________
HOUMA/THIBODAUX

Individuals Wednesday, March 26th Terrebone Parish
Library 8:30-10:00

151 Library Drive
Houma, LA 70360 1:30-3:00

Practitioners Wednesday, March 26th (SAME LOCATION) 11:00-12:30

____________________________________________________________________
LAKE CHARLES

Practitioners Friday, March 28th Central School of
Arts 11:30-1:00
& Humanity
Center

809 Kirby Street
Lake
Charles, LA

Individuals Saturday, March 29th (SAME LOCATION)
9:30-11:00

1:00-2:30
NEW ORLEANS

Individuals Saturday, April 5th New Orleans Super
Dome 9:30-11:00
New Orleans,
LA 1:00-2:30














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