European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - June 7, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 8 the stars and stripes june overseas tax return deadline draws near by Bob hover staff writer of you Haven hied our 1985 Federal income tax youre rapidly running out of returns from who live abroad and that includes department of defense personnel who Are assigned to Europe Are due no later than Mon june returns must be postmarked by that if you want to avoid that a break of two Days because june 15 the Normal deadline for overseas filings Falls on a sat the internal Revenue service extends the filing deadline in such circumstances to the next working if youre a procrastinator and put off filing because overseas residents get an extra two months from the Normal april i 5 or if youre awaiting documents to Complete your youd better act still More time is available if you need but you must apply for Dennis the assistant Revenue representative at the irs offices in taxpayers May gain an Extension until 15 by filing form 4868 by june at the same they must estimate and pay any taxes the irs accepts estimates in such cases because most late filings Are the result of delays in collecting but the estimates should approximate the amount of taxes taxpayers who fail to apply for the 15 dead line will be subject to for returns that Are More than 60 Days the Law provides for a penalty of or 100 percent of the balance of the tax whichever is irs officials warn that a penalty May be imposed for late even if the taxpayer owes no for those who owe delays in filing can be the irs began charging 13 percent on overdue taxes april the 13 percent is compounded daily until the taxes Are after the june 15 a 5 percent monthly penalty will be assessed against taxes for up to five months a penalty that could add 25 percent to the tax even if no Money is All americans who receive income by Law must file tax no matter How much income they have or where they for those whole paid too much every Days delay Means a loss of Money there entitled but to get refunds they must make the Effort to file a when refunds Are delayed More than 45 Days from the filing the government pays 13 percent inter est on the Money beginning with the 46th this Means that taxpayers who filed returns by the april 15 deadline Are entitled to 13 percent interest beginning june 1 on refunds the government still owes the same 45day Rule applies on overseas returns that were filed after april a slowdown in the processing of returns earlier in the year delayed a number of but the irs now says the processing of returns is on done Bend fhe Law Tor a tax advisers say a service woman Cut from her fed eral tax liability by reporting a contribution to an individual retirement at first she appeared to have made a legitimate move under the inter Nal Revenue service code to reduce her Federal tax individuals Are allowed to contribute up to to an Ira and reduce their taxable income by that closer examination of the woman contribution shows that she entered fraudulent information on her she did so on the advice of an insurance agent with an ulterior at the suggestion of the the woman reported a Ira contrib but she did not have an in she used the Money she saved by claiming an Ira to Purchase the agent urged her to take a Chance with her return so she would have the tax refund to buy in Chisling Uncle the woman took an unnecessary risk that could ruin her career and get her into trouble with the military Legal assistance advisers while offering advice to the agent made sure his name was not included on the tax although subject to a conspiracy charge for urging the woman to make a fraudulent the agent knew that such charges Are difficult to in the the real losers in such cases Are the taxpayers who have signed returns that contain fraudulent such cases Are punishable by fines and up to five years in although maximum penalties Seldom Are banded any penalties can be Ca some taxpayers who commit fraud get away with others Are Legal assistance advisers warn taxpayers against accepting gratuitous advice that could get them into it May be tempting to Bend the Law to get a tax an air Force lawyer some questionable advice no doubt is offered with the encouragement of serv ice members looking for ways to get a tax free tax advice is available at most Mil itary communities in and com Mercial tax preparers augment the Mili tary unit tax advisers Are the first line of questions they cant handle Are referred to Legal assistance who say there is no need to accept advice from questionable when in they Point the Best policy is to Check the nearest Legal assist Ance every we see a number of cases where individuals have taken bad said John the chief of Legal assistance at v corps in if people would use the help that is available in their they could avoid most Martensen Bob Hoyer tearless priest takes care of Border soldiers by Tony Nauroth Nuernberg Bureau chief Germany seventy one year old monsignor Gottfried Merl seems deter inca to Drill his Index Finger through the dining Hall Tabletop at Camp it is saturday he has just finished saying mass in the woodshed size Border Only one Man but that didst bother Merl has served soldiers of the 2nd army Cav regt along the czechoslovakian Border Ever since the unit rolled in at the end of april his congregations have come in various sizes since his Contention is that god docs not he for his work with these soldiers along the German Merl has received two outstanding civilian service awards one in 1970 and another in he also received a 2nd army Cav regt award for serving 440 months on the one of his messages to these troops whom he Calls my if you die and go to dont Tell them nobody cared father was at the Moris grand fatherly eyes peer Over wire rimmed his Black Beret with its Gold Cross perches jauntily atop his snowy the engaging Grin that pinches his checks belies a toughness that comes through when he puffs up his Chest and i have no he stops drilling and turns to he has a Point to his fist comes Down on the table with a with robust he com put this put this Down i want this to be put Down father Merl is not Subtle about telling others what he thinks is whats important Are a few poignant moments he remembers from the closing Days of world War they shaped the rest of his Merl was saying mass one sunday after the 2nd Cav liberated the present Border a group of soldiers carrying rifles and wearing steel helmets entered the everybody there going to Stop us from there spying on but the soldiers took off their Bent Down on their Knees in the Center aisle and i knew the situation would be Good because when people Pray they cannot hate each in nearby two tanks stopped in the Village Square and turned their tur photo by Tony Nauroth monsignor Gottfried Merl Border gis deserve my love rets toward a farmhouse and barn where army intelligence officers thought German is troops were Merl identified himself As a priest and pleaded with them not to destroy the farm because Only a family and some refugees were one tank commander told we have our then 1 told if you you will be War criminals just like you blame us Merl pointed to a figure in the Yard and told the even i As a priest can Tell the difference Between a Soldier and a woman again Merl i had no fear and no shells were he beats his fist on the table which victors russians or americans listened to their Defeated enemy bang goes the As the patriotism for his adopted soldiers the americans Merl also recounts tales of Cooks who went against army regulations to get mess Hall food into the bellies of starving Refu gee put this get this Down he be gins with his table Drill running full Speed when you Are you can smell food Miles against the such acts of kindness on the part of others helped forge Merls he has served service members As a contract priest in along the Border and at the Hohenfels training he has baptised hundreds of american married scores of gis to and does his Best to explain German Cus Toms to american families in the Merl says he has a soft spot in his heart for army he was at Camp Reed when soldiers borrowed a cake knife from the Cooks to use As a Cement trowel to build the Little Border the fearless priest with the Thun Dering fist and pointed Finger Drill says he serves the spiritual needs of these Border soldiers because they deserve my in a yet refreshingly unassuming self Merl my heart beats 50 percent bavarian and percent he shrugs his shoulders and adds almost the rest is then the fist comes hammering Down once and i have no the engaging grand fatherly Grin softens his and he puts away the Hammer and he has made his