Income

Program helps low- and mid-income with prescriptions SHARPSBURG - Sharpsburg area residents who aren't on a prescription plan can seek assistance in getting prescriptions free or at a reduced price by stopping by the Keedysville Senior Citizen Center next month, Vice Mayor Sidney Gale said. Officials with the Western Maryland Prescription Program will be at the senior center on Thursday, Sept. 7, from noon to 7 p.m., said Audrey Miller of the Washington County Health System.

The Sovereign Bank Foundation has provided a matching grant to the Washington County Community Action Council that will assist CAC in sustaining staffing for the Affordable Homes Program provided for low-income households in rural areas of Washington County. Through partnerships among the Sovereign Foundation and USDA Rural Development and CAC, eligible home buyers can receive low-interest loans for properties in rural Washington County. By working together, these organizations are able to provide permanent financing that permits households who may not otherwise be able to afford it to purchase a home.

The Washington County Community Action Council Inc. in conjunction with the Office of Home Energy Programs can help pay your heating and electric bills. With two applications you may be eligible for four different programs: Maryland Energy Assistance Program - provides heating and assistance grants. Electric Universal Service Program - provides assistance with electric bills. Electric Universal Bill Retirement - provides assistance with outstanding balances on electric accounts.

Some county homeowners 65 and older will see additional property-tax relief under a change approved Tuesday by the Washington County Board of  Commissioners. The commissioners voted to change the county's Senior Citizen Supplemental Homeowners' Property Tax Credit so many seniors will get more of a credit. The credit effectively caps the amount of county property tax owed based on income, providing a credit for county property taxes owed above that amount. Under the new formula, the cap will be set at an amount equal to 0 percent of the first $15,000 of combined income, 5 percent of the next $1,000 of combined income and 9 percent of combined income over $16,000.

The Washington County Community Action Council is accepting applications for its housing rehabilitation program. The program assists low- and moderate-income Washington County families in need of home repairs. The program consists of low-interest loans and grants for income-eligible homeowners. Income eligibility guidelines are based on family size. For more information or an application, call CAC at 301-797-4161.

After being laid off, Jamie Bausman of Hagerstown has turned his glassmaking hobby into a way of generating income.

Can nation stand any more hope and change? To the editor: A recent letter writer stated that each time he relived Colin Powell's speech justifying our Iraq intervention, he was “revolted by the hypocrisy that my own government would initiate on an international stage.” The only thing revolting is the notion that the writer is so ill-informed. In fact, every intelligence agency in the world believed Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction and said so. He used deadly gas on his own people, and he proudly claimed to have WMD. But the myth remains, or should I say the lie remains, that the Bush administration failed to tell the truth about the need for the Iraq invasion.

People with at least $3,000 of qualifying income in 2007 must have filed a tax return by Oct. 15, 2008, to receive a federal government refund check. That includes income from Social Security benefits, Railroad Retirement benefits and veterans' disability compensation. The Washington County Commission on Aging has scheduled two more sessions to help people file their returns: Aug. 26 at Commission on Aging office, 140 W. Franklin St., fourth floor, Hagerstown, from 10 a.m. to noon Sept.

A number of initiatives for developing businesses or residences in downtown Hagerstown are available through the city government. Here are a few. · Enterprise Zone tax credits - property tax credits for creation of commercial space and jobs. · Sign and facade grants - matching grants of $300 for signs and $1,000 for facade work in the C3 district. · Smart Growth Arts and Entertainment District - property tax credits for creating arts and entertainment spaces, admission and amusement tax exemption for eligible activities, income tax subtraction for artists working in the district.

Maryland offers different tax credit programs to property owners and renters who meet income guidelines. The Homeowners' Property Tax Credit Program "sets a limit on the amount of property taxes any homeowner must pay based upon his or her income," according to the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation. For example, a property owner with an annual household income of $16,000 would pay no more than $480 a year in property taxes, according to a state chart that lists the tax limits based on household income.

With no extended hours at the U.S. Post Office in Hagerstown on Monday and a midnight deadline to submit tax forms, people putting off their taxes were lining up on tax day to mail their forms to the IRS that morning and afternoon. Some local residents said that how late they wait to send in their taxes is determined by whether they owe money or expect money back, as well as the amount. Dave Hanna, 66, of Hagerstown, said that Monday was the first time he has not asked for an extension to send in his taxes in a while.

The nation's ongoing economic doldrums, mixed with generational differences, have hit rock maple as well as blond furniture hard, and all but the finest antiques have suffered. But at area auctions, the venerable box lots - random cardboard box assortments of such things as old egg beaters, bottle openers, calendars and road maps - still are selling well. Often, the buyers are people who hope to resell the individual items for a profit, auctioneers said. “The box lots, the generic type of household items, things you would see at flea markets, that market has grown stronger,” said auctioneer John F. Kohler Jr., who owns Gateway Gallery Auction in Chambersburg, Pa. “I attribute that to more people are using the yard sale, flea market venue or Craigslist to garner more income,” Kohler said.

A bill introduced by Del. Andrew A. Serafini, R-Washington, in the Maryland General Assembly seeks to change the state's tax policy significantly, by proposing a state flat income tax of 4.51 percent on federal gross adjusted income for all Marylanders. “The bill is revenue neutral,” Serafini said, meaning that the state would raise approximately the same amount of revenue from the new proposal as under existing tax laws if the bill were to become law. Federally gross adjusted income refers to income earned after deductions such as student loans and some types of expenses.

Some consultant reports deserve to sit on a shelf. But the strategic economic-development report presented to Washington County recently by Urbanomics Inc. is not one of them. Traditional consultant reports all too often break little ground beyond telling the agency that is paying for the report what it wants to hear. A good example is the recent Ripken report, which looked at the downtown stadium issue through rose-colored glasses. The Urbanomics report, by contrast, addressed some of our most glaring unpleasantries head-on.

U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency County Executive Director Colleen Cashell said beginning today USDA will issue payments to dairy farmers enrolled in the Milk Income Loss Contract program for the September 2012 milk marketings. A farm bill extension provides for a continuation of the program through Sept. 30. All dairy producers with MILC contracts are automatically extended to Sept. 30. Eligible producers, therefore, do not need to re-enroll in the program. MILC operations with approved contracts will continue to receive monthly payments, if available.

Ten or more years ago, the Washington County Commissioners paid a handsome sum for a consultant study to determine whether the county needed a fire tax. What it got for its money was a lot of redundant background and boilerplate, with no answer to the commissioners' central question. Under pressure, the commissioners pressed the consultant for an answer: Did Washington County need a fire tax? The consultant added a few paragraphs that essentially said, “Sure, why not?” and the county had its answer, but it didn't matter, since the commissioners didn't act on the consultant study anyway.

The Washington County Department of Social Services is assisting in a promotional campaign called “Your Money. You Earned It. Now Claim It!” to encourage eligible Washington County residents to claim their earned income credit and child tax credit that is available to working families and can give them up to $5,891 on their 2012 tax returns.  This year's campaign consists of posting fliers and brochures in strategic locations, including the...

Michael's messages on tax reform seem mixed To the editor: In his column in The Herald-Mail, George Michael used more than 700 words in analyzing the Republicans' loss of the 2012  presidential election, while Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal summarized it in one short sentence, saying that Republicans need to quit being the stupid party. More moderate Republicans are beginning to grasp the meaning of Jindal's statement, but Michael seems to be missing the point.