European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 13, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 6 the stars and stripes wednesday april 13,1983 taxpayers can delay filing by filling out 1 Page form stateside Washington a Friday is the deadline for filing 1987 Federal lax returns but if confusion about the new Ian la has caused you to put off the chore this Long you might be better off delaying the inevitable for another four months. Just filling out a one Page form 486 will give you a reprieve until a. Is but you must estimate what you owe if anything and enclose a Check Wilh form 4868. But at least you won t be rushed into making a mistake. The internal Revenue service expects about 6.25 million couples and individuals to ask for the automatic delay about i million More than last year if you plan to join that number says trs spokesman Wilson i7adcly, you should gel a form 4b6b immediately. If you Wall until the list Day to look at the Library or Post office for the form you May not find one Fadly said. The irs is expecting 107 million individual us re turns this year and estimates that 37 million of them will come pouring in during the 21 Days that end on april 22. More than 53 million had been received by april i. Some of the remainder will be filed after the deadline some will come from military personnel who Eire stationed abroad some will came utter from tax payers who have deadlines other than april 15. The irs has processed is percent of he return received so far Down slightly from last year. More than 77 percent arc getting refunds compared with 78 percent at this time last year. Refunds arc averaging $825, up from s806. Tax authorities Specula a that uncertainty about the new tax Taw caused Many people to put off filing this year. The new Law is blamed by the irs for an increase of about 2.5 percent in the number of taxpayer errors on this year s returns. And the biggest rewriting of the Law in the history of the income tax Means some peo ple clearly a minority Are paying More lax. For a lot of people it s a Bil of a Surprise says vent Martens senior lax attorney at Merrill Lynch Headquarters in new York. They were impressed by the fact rates were Cut but forgot that certain deductions Are no longer available. The groups that Benefit most Are lower income people and those at the other extreme who were in the so percent bracket and suddenly they re Down to 38.5 percent Martens said. The vast majority in the mid dle Are paying from a Little Bil More to a lot  on the plus Side the maximum tax rates applying to most taxpayers were lower in 1987 than in 1986, on the other hand some key deductions that had spelled lower taxes for millions were no longer available or significantly reduced for 1987. The deduction for sales taxes was wiped out entirely. Only 6s percent of consumer interest was deductible. Only Unriem Hursch medical exp com that exceeded 7.5 percent of adjusted Gross income were deductible. And Only the portion of miscellaneous deductions including Union dues exceeding 2 percent of ag1 were deductible. But the loss of two other deductions meant higher taxes for Many Middle and upper income families. Two earner couples lost a special deduction of up to $3,000, and couples Over  in which at least one spouse was covered by a company pension lost the write off of up to $4,000 for individual retirement account contributions introduction of four new tax forms has caused wide spread confusion although most of the problems Are being encountered by higher income people who can afford the professional help that Many taxpayers Are finding necessary. Those forms Are 8598, which fewer than 1 million people will have to file to calculate Haw much of i hair Home mortgage Purchase Price i any improvements. 8606, required mainly or Middle and upper in come taxpayers who make non deductible contributions to an Ira. 861 5, used to compute the lax owed by children ten itch age 14 whose interest and other investment in come exceeded j1,000. 3582. For calculating losses on rental operations and other passive activity  an procedures for testing workers for drugs Are published by has Washington a the department of once they Are issued. Dialled the caller will hear a recording that advises the Correct area code. Washington a an Ohio grandmother hiking to awaken the american people to the plight of abused and neglected children completed her 500-mile, three week trek monday in the nation s capital wearing shorts a to shirt and jogging shoes a smiling Mary Helen Wallace of suburban Cincinnati strode briskly up to the fool of the . Capitol triggering cheers from supporters who had gathered to Welcome her. Let me catch my breath everybody Wallace said. It was hard. It was full of blisters and joint pain and Back pain and sunburn and windburn and cars trying 10 run me  however Wallace spokeswoman for a group called rights of our children said she does not regret making the journey. I have made this Walic to awaken Trie american people she said. If everyone will just look and Sec the pain and the destruction that s happening to Ameri Ca s children they win search their hearts and do to Mcthia no about  Wallace retried to disclose her age but said she has a i a year Oid grandson. She left Cincinnati on March 21 and hiked through Ohio West Virginia and Virginia before reaching Washingion. She said she has been Power walking for about four years and averaged about 23 Miles a Day during her trip. I m so exhausted thai i Don t deep she said. "1 gel Aboul four hours of sleep a  Betty Kuchner of Cincinnati followed Wallace in a car during the first part of the journey and maintained Contact with her throughout the trip. She said Wallace lured overnight in the Homcik or campers of friends and thai the try were a few Sampoul  Kuchner said her Friend walked virtually the entire Way taking rides Only for a few a Ninon stretches of dangerous Highway. Wallace said Chr most frightening part of the trip occurred in West Virginia when she was forced to hug the Side of a Mountain to avoid being truck by a semitrailer carrying a wide Load  dug my toes literally into the Side of the Culvert Fie inn the Stone. And rated Wallace recalled. "1 fell the Whiz of it go across my  she said she was disappointed the Psi not Able to meet with president Reagan but that inc Hopes her walk will spawn legislation to better protect children