Dear Neighbor,
Saturday, Sept. 11 marks the 20th year since our nation was attacked by foreign terrorists. Four highjacked aircraft were used as weapons to destroy the Twin Towers in New York, seriously damage the U.S. Pentagon. On the fourth plane, the passengers were able to fight back forcing a premature crash before it could reach the U.S. Capital.
Almost 4,000 of our country men and women were killed that morning. Countless others in uniform have died since preventing foreign terrorists from further attacks. The current crowd in Washington, D.C., continues to suggest that the endless war is over with the withdrawal of the last U.S. troops from Afghanistan.
I disagree. That suggestion ignores today’s reality and is not being honest with the American people. The battle to protect our country from foreign terrorist attack is not over. That war respects no national boundaries and regrettably will be with us for the foreseeable future.
At the state level, the Department of Revenue is making progress on returning the excess state income taxes individuals and businesses paid on the federal unemployment insurance dollars and paycheck protection program funds that were provided in 2020. The department will begin processing returns the week of Sept. 13.
About 540,000 state income tax returns are involved. Manual processing will begin with about 1,000 individual income tax returns per week, but once software changes are in place and tested, processing is expected to ramp up to about 50,000 returns per week by late October. Over 2,000 returns dealing with the Paycheck Protection Program filed by businesses have started to receive refunds.
The department expects to process the refunds at their end with few exceptions, minimizing the number of individuals needing to file an amended tax return. Letters were sent in mid-August to less than 8,000 individual income taxpayers who will need to file amended returns to get the money the state owes them. For additional tax information visit this link.
The leaves are beginning to turn color, a sure sign of fall. The bright-yellow school buses have also returned to the roads. The buses are making their way through neighborhoods daily picking up and dropping off school children.
Expect to see school children at the driveway waiting for the school bus. Please keep a sharp eye out for school children, and strictly obey school bus warning lights and stop-arm signals.
Sincerely,
Dale