European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 7, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 a the stars and stripes saturday March 7, 1992workers rejecting Bush tax offer by Jim Luther Washington a Large numbers of american workers Are saying a no thanks to president Bush selection year offer of a bit More take Home pay now in Exchange for smaller tax refunds next year. An informal Turvey by the associated press of Large employers and payroll preparation services shows that in some companies nearly half the workers Are filing new w-4 forms to keep income tax withholding at last years level. If that trend holds it would do serious damage to Bush a idea of injecting an extra $2 billion a month into the Economy simply by giving workers part of their tax refunds in Advance. A something tells me a number of taxpayers May take me up on this one a Bush said when he announced the change during a 1.28. _ his state of the Union message Jan. Families need the extra Money now a to help pay for clothing College or to get a new car a he said. The change generally took effect March 1. But it turns out that while a lot of families might be Able to use a few extra dollars a week they prefer to let the government hold it and Send it Back in a Lump sum Early next year. The difference in refund a or in taxes owed at filing time a is about $172 a year for a single person $345 for a married person and $690 for a two earner couple. A Large numbers of our workers Are having their withholding changed to nullify the effects of the reduction a said Paul Allen at Eastman Kodak Headquarters in Rochester . A we can to quantify it yet but the payroll department tells me its the majority of the 39,600 employees. A significant number of Dupont a 20,000 employees in the Wilmington del., area wont accept lower withholding a spokesman said. Hallmark cards employs about 6,700 at its Kansas City Headquarters and As Many As 40 percent of them have requested that last years higher withholding rates be retained said spokesman Adrienne Salto. A but the number of new w-4s is not As prevalent in our Field offices where they probably Are not As aware of the change As we Are at Headquarters a she said. Other employers and tax experts agree that millions of workers Arentt aware that their withholding rates dropped automatically on paychecks issued after feb. 28. A memos Are going out to our hourly paid workers this week and to salaried employees in mid March indicating the possibility they May be under withheld if they done to Fife new forms said Jolene Woodlee at the Radovac corp. In Madison wis. About half of the More than 100,000 workers for 4,100 employers whose checks Are prepared by pay hex inc. Of Fairfax va., Are keeping taxes withheld at last years higher rates said spokesman Brian Toombs. A we put out a communication a week or so ago to our employees indicating the Range of Impact if they done to file new w-4s, said Olan Jones a payroll official at Tennessee Eastman in Kingsport Tenn he said it was too soon to Tell whether a lot of the 13,000 workers will choose to keep higher  to pay Blacks who were rejected for jobs College Park my. A the University of Maryland will pay a total of $230,000 to scores of Blacks who applied for secretarial and clerical jobs but were rejected allegedly because of their race. The . Labor department filed a complaint of racial Bias against the state supported school after a routine review of hiring practices. The settlement announced this week is not an admission of Bias the school said. Kathryn costello head of institutional advancement at the school said wednesday that the settlement was reached to avoid the costs of a Legal Battle. The 267 people eligible for monetary compensation comprise All Blacks who applied for clerical or secretarial positions at the school from october 1985 to january 1991 but received no Job offer said Joseph Dubray regional director of Federal contract compliance programs at the labor department. Under the agreement the University also must offer jobs within three years to 60 Black applicants who weren to hired even though they were deemed qualified. Noriega helped Dea one time chief testifies Miami apr no evidence connecting Manuel Noriega to drug trafficking surfaced during the period that prosecutors claim he took bribes from cocaine Barons a former top . Drug agent testified this week. Francis Mullen headed the drug enforcement administration from 1981 to 1985, a period covering almost All of the acts charged in the ousted panamanian leaders drug and racketeering indictment. Mullen said thursday that Noriega cooperated fully with the Dea. A when you asked general Noriega for help would he always give it to you a asked defense attorney Frank Rubino. A yes Quot answered Mullen. A in the time you were head of the Agency. Did you Ever see any credible information that general Noriega was involved in drug trafficking a Rubino then asked. A no a Mullen responded Beverly Masek a athabaskan native from Willow Alaska gets water for her dogs wednesday at an id Tarod checkpoint in Rainy pass. This is Maseko a third id Tarod  wins Early id Tarod prize cripple Alaska apr Joe Runyan and Doug Swingley who still Haven to taken a mandatory 24-hour rest pushed on toward Yukon River on Friday in the id Tarod Trail sled dog race. A pack of big name mushers settled into the Halfway checkpoint at cripple. All of them had taken the required rest. Runyan and Swingley worked the Trail North of cripple to the next checkpoint at Ruby on the Yukon. Swingley of Simms mont., claimed the $3,000 Halfway prize by beating Runyan into cripple by a minute thursday morning. Runyan and Swingley left cripple at 11 50 . And 12 09 ., respectively. Organizers Sard they could reach Ruby by Dawn. Ruby 120 Miles from cripple is 654 Miles into the race and 505 Miles from the finish line at Nome. A seven course gourmet meal and a $3,500 prize await the first Musher at Ruby. Seventy six mushers entered the 1,159-mile race which began in Anchorage on feb. 29. First prize is $50,000. Last years second place finisher Martin Buser pulled into cripple in third place thursday at 4 39 ., followed 10 minutes later by Ketil Reitan. Deedee Jonrowe arrived at 5 06  Also into cripple by Nightfall were four time Winner Susan Butcher Bruce Lee Tim Osmar Jeff King and defending Champion and five time Winner Rick Swenson. Temperatures in Interior Alaska dipped As Low As 50 below Zero overnight. The wind chill made it feel As cold As 80 below.45,000 follow doonesbury file for Texas residency Washington a More than 45,000 people have clipped out a a doonesbury Quot cartoon suggesting they seek unofficial Texas residency to take advantage of the same income tax break enjoyed by occasional Texas resident George Bush. The cartoon published in feb. 2 newspapers urged readers to Cut out an accompanying Coupon and mail it to Texas comptroller John Sharp the states top tax Man. The Coupon says the writer wants to be a just like the Prezz and become a resident of Texas one of a handful of states without a personal income tax. Greg Hartman a spokesman for Sharp said the comptrollers office has received More than 45,000 requests some from Brazil and Japan. Sharp a Democrat has printed up Tongue in Cheek certificates to mail Back to the writers. Those certificates paid from Sharps political funds should be mailed out within the next few Days Hartman said thursday. Both were in Washington where Sharp testified before a congressional economic committee. Bush claims Houston As his official residence but Hasni to lived full time in Texas since going to Congress in the 1960s. His Houston a a Home is a hotel suite in the houstonian hotel the owner of the hotel houstonian properties ltd., filed for Federal bankruptcy Protection feb. 18, but the hotel is not involved in the reorganization filing. Bush owns a vacation House in Maine and a citizens group there is demanding that he pay $165,000 in state income taxes