European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 22, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                There a tax help out there for american Crystal Laureano staff writer january and the new year Are traditionally a time to focus on new beginnings. Hill that old year can t to completely forgotten until you file your income tax. Gather up those receipts cancelled checks and financial statements. Find the calculator Sharpen some pent ils plug in the Coffee pot and lock yourself in i secluded room. Name. Soc Ial Security number. Of so far. Hut what do you do if you get stuck what if you Don t want to do it at All for those who insist on tackling the lax form monster alone the army air fort e and Navy in Europe offer  preparation assistance to get you Over any hurdle the internal Revenue service has placed in your path. If you decide you d rather break Loose some Bucks to have someone else do it you re also in Luck. Legal officers in Many communities attend internal Revenue Servic e tax seminars to learn tax filing basics. But Vita is the heart of the military lax assistance program. The Volunteer income tax assistance program puts help in the form of trained volunteers at unit Levels. The irs begins training Vita representatives in Germany Italy and the United kingdom this month said Barbara Gehrmann an irs representative in Bonn Germany. Thirty locations in Europe requested training material she said. Quot Many attorneys in state judge advocate offices Are Able to conduct the training themselves Quot she said. Tax expertise varies among Vita volunteers Gehrmann said but Many arc experienced. Quot frequently people who to Unter one year choose to Volunteer the next year Quot she said. Quot about 50 percent who Volunteer have in some years in the past helped in the tax  if the Vita representative can t solve a problem it is referred to the Legal assistance office. Legal assistance officers who done to have All the answers can Call an irs offic e in Europe for further help. The tax assistance program offers assistant e Oxer tin rough spots of lax preparation. Legal offices or tax assistance volunteers Are not in the income tax form preparation business. However Legal assistance officers Are Able to go through a line by line examination of prepared returns. For those who would rather leave their lax preparation to a professional the army and air Force Exchange service and a amp a Block have teamed up to provide tax preparation services to customers throughout Europe say cafes officials. The service is available through april. Although americans overseas receive a two month Extension to file their taxes the bulk of customers will have filed by the april 15 deadline according to a amp a bloc k officials. A amp a Block representatives will be available for consultation through the end of the year. The Cost of tax preparation will vary depending on the number of forms that must be completed such As those for child care credit or capital gains. A amp a Block offices also offer electronic tax filing which can provide taxpayers with a refund directly into their Bank account within three weeks. Rates for lax preparation and electronic filing Are set by franchise owners and thus vary among the different offices said Flugo Saenz at the a amp a Block european division office. Customers should visit their local office to ask about the rates. State taxes for Active duty military in Europe Rhode  new Jersey Delaware Maryland Cut a. A amps Dave Dudlo computer filing is available in Europe through military offices and private  Crystal Laureano staff writer there a a Quick fix available for those who need their tax refunds Hack yesterday computer filing. _ electronic tax filing has been available in the United states for five years and is catching on quickly among americans. In 1989, 1.2 million tax returns were filed electronically according to the internal Revenue service. Those numbers jumped to 4 million in 1990 and 7 it million in 1991. Irs officials expect 10 million americans to use the system this year. But Only in the last few years have service members in Europe had the same Opportunity to get a Quick income tax refund. A amp a Block offices first brought the Servic e to Europe in 1 990 and continue to offer the service for a fee. No state tax some exemptions military pay is Tor military pay. Exempt or state for state by state specifics tax Only on Contact a military Community investments Legal assistance Officemax software for the homely Ron Mckinney staff writer tired of relying on the tax Man to Ligure out those precious returns if so computer buffs can calculate their own taxes with the Aid of several computer tax programs sold at cafes retail outlets. Quot most Consumers Are lost when it comes to taxes a said Chris Bush the sales manager of military sales and service a computer software distributor that stocks the cafes computer stores. Quot really you have to Trust the person you give your taxes to Quot Bush said. And that can be a problem for some people. Quot they feel helpless turning Over their receipts to a so called tax expert they re left out of the Loop Quot he said. Many tax preparers Don t ask All the questions pertinent to a Filer s financial background. With these programs he said the Filer has the information to research tax requirements and find the provisions that could mean a tax savings in tax Loxly e Asing the tax return blues i ust sear the atm Kun ked Oil a Pilot program uttering tree Elei tron ii tax filing in about a halt do in Legal assist am e Ollices in f Europe. Muir i ban 1,200 people look advantage of bal serve. A workshop on Elei tron ii tiling hosted in the 12nd army air Welense Good Legal Ollice in mid december attracted representatives mom the Lisa of lir Legal Olliie army claims Semi e in Mannheim 1 St amid t in try int i in corps. Southern  Lask Force in Itah Mil be 12ml. Some May in commands will have several Natii is uttering the service so interested it ust Omeis should Contact their local Legal assistant e Elln is Tor locations near them. Within .12nd, Lor example others will be handling Elet tron ii tiling in Darmstadt Pitburg and Babenhausen Sard Hicl warrant officer 2 of Robertson a Legal administrator in Ibe commands judge adv i ate office. Participating offices will accept 1040s, 1 040as, most supplemental forms and 1040l/s. Only taxpayers who Are due a refund May use the system. An envelope and stamp must be used by those who owe the government Money. Also the irs will allow Only americans in Europe with an Apo address to use the filing method. Quot we received Good reports out of several areas last year especially about How fast people were getting their refunds Quot said Barbara Gehrmann an irs representative in Bonn Germany Quot and we expect this year to he even More productive than last  the Darmstadt tax filing program operated by the 32nd army air defense Good Legal assistance division processed 250 tax returns last year said capt. Stacy Sims attorney in charge of the tax program. We Icalla Iluigi i Pulu i cil my h Mih e it was the Tom Lime and we did i know How Well it would Wink out. Quot Sims  i 1 ills v  we expel i Moi e Pai i u . She added i his is How Tho Semi e Vav of is i a Pav i s take i Hen i completed loins to a a it u i pal my i my Legal assistant e Olin e inh mation mom i to lorm is onto Iod into a i of Pul or loaded with a spot  tax sol i Are program Appi Ovod a Tho iks. I to inh mation is Tiaris Mitlow to si1 i d 5 t Tup in Minneapolis a Viii i sends Tho tax inh mation on to Iho iks Lom Pultor net Vor k. 1 he Midi email is nun  because iks i ampule is Ai e not i a p. I file of Lei div my 11 ans missions dim lev imm overseas lot alums. I he i amp Lei Soll Ware red is mistakes allowing Lor taster Proi Essig a Henell both Lor the taxpayer and the iks. It lets v ii know it there is a mistake and keys Iii to other Lai tors it you need to till in something else a l Ehi m a i said. Mistakes i Anim ii among paper Relur Ris mailed to the iks can delay Proi Ossing up to two weeks she said. Those using the Elei tron ii tiling t an expel t refunds within three to tour weeks even faster in you request  the Leliand he deposited in a Hank account. Quot once it is received by the irs Ibe refund i an lie in your Hank Ltd i mini in two to Eluee works Quot Gre Manri said. In i onh Asl re i urns mailed to the iks and Gnu Essed manually have return limes that vary Horn Ihrer to four weeks in january to so or seven weeks As the april i 5 deadline nears. A amps Ron Mckinney Afes carries six software packages. Getting Bai k into the Loop can he made easier with the Aid of six computer tax programs offered at the cafes retail outlets. The tax software can he used to keep Trai k of receipts and financial records throughout the year. Ii also provides information on which write offs Are available and which Arent while the programs cannot provide specialized information for very Complex tax returns they do have All the necessary information for most applications even Smalt business owners. However to i Complete the tax Pai Kage an upgraded tax program is necessary. Bush said Consumers need Only to Register with the program s publisher and the final program a i Complete with All the new tax Laws will arrive in the mail free of charge. Quot it  ally just gets you stalled Quot Bush said of the tax software uttered by Aai i s. One tax program the i Axi it i  i a f , is a $ i 9.50 investment to help with the  lorm which is usually tilled out by taking information Oft a w-2 statement. Quot i done to know Why they make  Tor some of these but there s a demand Tor in somewhere Quot Bush said Bush said that 95 pen my of Aati s i ush Miers could use the $19.50 Shi or la it a m by i Urb lax among the lax programs. Most of the programs Are similar hush said. Busti liners generally i Ini i a Soll Ware publisher and to fit la san k with that Brand As they upgrade their in Grams. But some programs Are More user Friendly than others. For Novice computer users Bush recommends the easy tax 1991 program whip h Sells Lor $5 2. He it ailed it Quot a great program that in Lurex everything you would want in lulling some things you  want Quot Bush said. Among the programs uttered by aah is the $52 head Start Lush Tux is the no. 1 Selling program in the u.s., although Bush warns that in is for someone who Isiu Nippler literate. Nut far behind is another chips of prod i i the More i us prehensile tax program Finau Tal planner head Start i Urb lax bundle 1040/quii Ken wlm h Sells for $97.50. Tie in Are usually no Spei Ilu k Hoard requirements with these programs but Bush suggested that buyers i Hei k the1 Side of the program Box to ensure that the program is i  with their i impute a the stars and stripes tax guide wednesday january 22, 1992 wednesday. January 22, 1992 the stars and stripes tax guide