European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - December 27, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday december 27, 1989 the stars and stripes Page 7 taxpayers can expect greetings from irs Washington a along with late greeting cards and Christmas Bills More than 107 million american households will get unwelcome mail from the internal Revenue service starting tuesday their annual tax forms. Some taxpayers May already have received their forms because their local postmaster jumped the gun. The forms have been sitting in Post offices with irs instructions not to mail them until after Christmas but every year some postmasters Send them Early any Way. In an Effort to reassure jittery taxpayers officials Are stressing that the forms contain few changes. But much to the Chagrin of the irs one of the changes should not have been  problem involves the catastrophic health insurance program which Congress voted to repeal in no vember after a revolt among the elderly who would have had to foot the Bill. The tax liability was abolished when the program was scuttled. However the congressional action came too late to change the tax forms which were printed in october with outdated information about the now obsolete tax. The irs Hopes to keep confusion to a minimum with a publicity Campaign. Also no form exists for taxpayers to compute their liability under the catastrophic program. If some taxpayers still fail to receive the word an include an amount on the line for the medicare Premium the irs says it will refund the Money. The irs said this year s forms which should be in most Homes before new year s Day will offer relatively minor changes. Among them the personal exemption the amount you May exempt from taxation for yourself your spouse and each dependent increases to $2,000 per person up from j1,950 last year. The Standard deduction claimed by people who do not itemize rises to $3,100 for a single person up from $3,000 last year while the exemption for a Cou ple increases to $5,200, up from $5,000 last year. Tax rates remain the same at 15 percent 28 per cent and 33 percent but the tax brackets have been widened so that More income will be taxed at a lower rate thus compensating for the Impact of inflation. Bowing to the increase in numbers of couples using separate last names for husband and wife the irs for the first time will include two Lints instead Ozone so that spouses filing a joint return can enter their names and social Security numbers on separate lines. Taxpayers must show the social Security number for any dependent they claim who is age 2 or older. Last year the cutoff was age 5. Families with income As High As $19.340 May qualify for an earned income credit up from a limit of18,576 last year. In one of the few changes with an Adverse Impact Only 20 percent of interest paid on credit card debt Auto Loans and other personal debt will be deductible on 1989 returns Down from 40 percent last year. The tax forms must be filed this year by april 16, one Day later than Normal because april 15 Falls on a sunday. The irs expects about 111.2 million individual in come tax returns will be filed for the 1989 tax year. The majority of taxpayers 65 percent will end up using the comprehensive form 1040, designed for tax payers who itemize or who have incomes above $50,000 annually. More Snow Falls on deep South but temperatures turning higher by the associated press More Snow fell monday on the Frozen deep South where Wilmington n.c., recorded the most Snow Ever for a Christmas and Florida utilities asked peo ple to turn off Holiday decorations to save electricity for heat. Citrus growers in Florida and Southern Texas inspected Frost damage in their Groves. Frozen Rivers and pipes interfered with water supplies in some Southern cities and the Carolines dug out after a rare december blizzard. But temperatures turned Balmy across much of the Plains in the Wake of last week s surge of Arctic air that broke hundreds of Low temperature records. Nebraska warmed into the 40s and it was the first time in 10 Days that Indiana had no readings at or near Zero. But a new wave of cold began pushing southward into Minnesota with wind chills of about 40 below Zero. Sections of Georgia Northern Florida and North Era Alabama got a dusting of Snow on Christmas and Light Snow even was reported along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico at Mobile Ala. It was Only the sixth time since 1878 that Atlanta got Holiday Snow and the first Christmas Snow in Mobile Ala., since record keeping began in 1871. However temperatures began to ease. At birding Ham Ala., the temperature Rose to 33 degrees shortly before noon the first time in 92 hours that the Mercury had been above freezing. Temperatures also eased in Florida but the Day started with a record Low of 30 degrees in Miami. The temperature fell to a record Low of Zero at the Airport for Wilmington n.c., which was partly Par Al Zed by the cold and the record 15 inches of Snow that fell sunday. The previous Low at Wilmington of 5 above had stood since february 1899. Other record lows monday All in Florida were 29 at fort Lauderdale 46 at key West and a record tying 33 at Miami Beach the National weather serv ice reported. Monday s Low for the lower 48 states was 17 degrees below Zero at Houlton Maine. Temperatures warmed up a few degrees in South Carolina but on the North coast which received Well Over a foot of Snow in places melting Snow was expected to re Fri Csc on roads and make driving Treach Erous during the  of Florida contended with rotating brownouts and in some instances blackouts As utilities tried to keep up with demand for electricity. Numerous burst water pipes were reported because of the cold and water pressure was Low partly from people letting water run to avoid Frozen pipes. A water crisis continued at Jackson miss., where five Days of cold had Frozen the Pearl River the City s source of water. Water stood up to 2 feet deep in parts of Marshall n.c., after ice jammed at a dam backing up the French Broad  was the second straight Day of cold ravaging Florida s $3.5 billion Citrus crop. Wind was Light Christmas eve meaning Groves that escaped unharmed the previous night suffered freeze damage. A Liffor wind prevents Frost from settling on the fruit. Apparently there is a lot of iced fruit said Dick Whalley. A spokesman for Florida Citrus Mutual the state s big grower cooperative. But strawberries fared better said Roy Parke of Park Esdale farms a Berry Farmer in Plant City Fla. We got Good ice cover and i figure i la be Able to save 80 percent Parke said monday. A Citrus worker holds in ice encrusted Orange in a Grove in Winter Garden fit sunday. Army Secretary visits wounded troops in Texas san Antonio a wounded soldiers told of being hit by gunfire in panamanian darkness and expressed Delight that Gen. Manuel Antonio Noriega Wasno longer at Large As army Secretary Michael . Stone visited them Christmas Day. I m glad he did it this Early pfc. Mike Chyne 21,said of the deposed panamanian dictator s move to take Sanctuary at the Vatican embassy in Panama City. I feel glad that the beast is in chains added army staff sgt. Terence Merlo As Stone made his Way around Wilford Hall medical Center. Myrlo was wounded in the Abdomen. Heyne of Ashland Ohio said he hoped Noriega Smove would allow american troops to come Home  Small Jar containing some shrapnel doctors re moved from his Waist sat next to Heyne s bed. Chyne injured by mortar fire said he planned to keep it As a  far 250 soldiers have been brought to hospitals in san Antonio after being injured in Panama including 15 on monday. Three died in route and one died after arrival. Dozens have been returned to Home bases or Dis charged leaving 52 at Wilford Hall at Lackland fab and 34 at Brooke army medical Center on Christmas Day. Good Luck to you All and thank you very much for everything you have done Stone said to the soldiers. He handed out army medallions As gifts. Stone said he and his wife had been in Panama just Days before fighting broke out. There was really an apprehension that something was going to happen and of course it did about a week after we were there he said. Stone later visited wounded army soldiers at Brooke. Family members visiting Merlo 40, of Jacksonville Ala., sat near his bed. He told Stone that he and fellow military policeman spec. Robert Cuschleg of Colum bus onto who was in the next Hospital bed were ambushed by an unseen enemy in the darkness on the first Day of the . Attack. Merlo told reporters he believes that Noriega s sur Render to the Vatican embassy Means it could delay his being brought to Justice. I m not sure that it was the Best place for him to turn himself in for us to get gratification and achieve our ends Merlo said. Soldiers read newspapers reporting Noriega s sur Render and displayed purple hearts on their pillows or pyjamas. Christmas cards Flowers and gifts were on View throughout the air Force Hospital. Relatives exchanged gifts with the soldiers and some attended two Christmas Day worship services. Among those visiting staff sgt. Walter Thompson of Enterprise Ala., who was shot in the left Arm were his wife Barbara Thompson his Mother some cousins and a Friend. I began to cry because i knew he was of  said her voice choked with emotion of the moment she first saw her husband saturday at Wilford Hall. Thompson said he kept going after he was struck. I was still fighting. I did t Stop