European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 05, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 12 b the stars and stripes Money matters Friday february 5,1993 today s rates following Are fixed rates at which Community banking and credit Union facilities will sell for eign currencies to . Personnel for personal use German Mark 1.61 British Pound 1.47 dutch Guilder 1.81 greek drachma 213.8461 note the rates above apply within the hos country. Figures Are expressed in dollars to the British Pound other currencies to the Dollar following Are Interbank rates that fluctuate and should be regarded As the approximate value of the . Dollar to foreign Curren cies italian lira 1,540.18 turkish lira 8,960.80 Spanish peseta 117.25 portuguese escudo 149.42 austrian Schilling 11.587 saudi rial 3.7495 Bahrain Dinar 0.37675 Kuwait Dinar 0.3082 norwegian Krone. 6.995 danish Krone 6.397 British Pound 1.443 German Mark 1.6583 Swiss franc 1.5305 French franc 5.614 dutch Guilder 1.8536 belgian franc 34.03 Canadian Dollar 1.263 note figures we expressed in dollars to the British Pound other currencies to the Dollar Gold quote $328.25 an ounce Silver quote s3.68 an ounce new York Exchange new York up the 15 most Active stocks in Newyork Stock Exchange composite trading on wednesday. Stock salts last Pitchf Chrysler corp 16.633,600 39 pvt Glaxo holdings 7,055.000 19h up Citicorp pop 6,954,100 17tt unch Merck & co inc 6,162,900 39/i up1v4general motors 5,364,700 39v Uultt Bristol Myersq 4,212,600 59 up  3,507,900 52v4 unch ism corp 3.197,600 51 i Oft Motorola inc 3.186,000 54h. Pvt Amer express co 3,142,300 24tt up Abbott labs inc 3.122,500 27h up1v4 Pfizer inc 3.116,200 64v4 up 1.14calfedlnc 2.957,900 4 up at to company 2.360,500 54v4 up Kmart corp 2,337,600 23% up american Exchange new York up the 10 most Active stocks i american Stock Exchange composite trading wednesday Stock sales Latt  us inc b 1,647,800 11-16 up 1-16 expo rate co la 1.046,500 1 off fruit of loom 989,800 48tt up3 i citizens it be 797,700 6h  584,000 315-16 up a Hill Haven corp 521,800 3 /4 unc heian corp pc 413,700 36vfc off Echo Bay mines 403,600 4tt off a Aurora elect pcs 396,400 15v4 putt non communicate 384,200 6h pvt Dow Jones new York up Dow Jones closing Range of averages wednesday Tofe Law close ctiaiw30 industrials 3397.83 332273 3373.79 up 45.12 20 transport 1553.76 1520.52 1542.48 up 13.7015 utilities 232.66 229.28 232.04 up 2.51 65 stocks 1260.35 1234.26 125221 up 14.43 faster tax refunds available with electronic filing service by Kevin Robinson staff writer Federal income tax filers in Europe who want their tax refunds in a hurry can choose electronic tax filing but the serv ice ranges in Price from free to expensive. Electronic tax filing is offered free in some army military communities but not by the air Force or the Navy military tax officials said. In Germany army Legal assist acc offices in bad i Kreuz Nach Baum Holder and Mann Heim began offer ing electronic filing monday to Active duty. . Military members retirees and defense depart ment civilians. Darmstadt will Start elec tronic filing feb. 16, a Legal official said. Through the army s electronic filing program a person can receive a tax re and in five to seven Days if the refund is deposited into a Bank account an army tax official said. Other army communities Are trying to install the electronic filing software said Steve Smith chief of Legal assistance for the 3rd inf div in Wiir Burg Ger Many. People can find out if the service is available in their Community 1 y calling their Legal assistance office he said. In Italy the army Legal office at the Southern european task Force head quarters in Vicen a is offering electronic filing to anyone with an id card said Grace Croce a tax official there. . Air forces in Europe bases were Given the option of providing the elec tronic tax service Safe officials said. However costs associated with personnel to run the service and software have discouraged bases from offering it. For the Navy electronic software also is unavailable. . Naval bases in Italy depend on family service centers to help sailors with their tax returns. However electronic tax filing is offered through Navy Exchange conces Sions in Italy. The Navy income tax Concession an independently owned tax preparation service in. Naples can return refunds in one Day to two Days said Peter Alessi a is Dave Casoy spec. Joseph 11. Masisak uses a big screen computer Monitor during a course held i Darmstadt Germany to explain electronic tax filing. Tax preparer. So far we be had about 60 people mostly civilians in for electronic filing since Jan. 15," said Alessi who expects about 400 to 800 customers this year. The Concession in Naples charges $14 to electronically file the 1040-ez and $20 for the 1040-a, Alessi said. Filing prices can reach hundreds of dollars he said depending on which tax schedules Are filed and How much work is involved. Nobody com Plains Alessi said because they know up front what they Are paying  or Block has outlets throughout Europe through an army and air Force Exchange service Concession contract most of which offer electronic tax filing said Barbara Kirsch an Safe spokeswoman. It s been chaotic Here said Nancy Kloboucnik a tax preparer for or Block at Raf Mildenhall England. Both military and civilian tax filers have flooded the office in a trailer on base. We Are the Only ones in the . Who can offer electronic tax filing she said. For $36, the or Block office at Mildenhall will calculate taxes and file re turns electronically Kloboucnik said. The company promises refunds in four weeks or two to three weeks if the Money is de posited into a Bank account. And for $65, they la give a super fast return in two Days she said. The refund is actually a Short term loan through a Bank that is attractive to people who have Bills they have to pay tomorrow Kloboucnik said. Andrews Federal credit Union has 12 locations in the Netherlands and Ger Many that will electronically file 1040, 1040-a and 1040-ez Federal returns for $27.50, said Henry Addison a senior vice president. The credit Union charges $17.50 for selected state returns. However in All cases customers must fill out their own tax forms before filing at an Drews he said. Retirees now can Cash checks at of offices Ramstein a Germany is military retirees now can Cash personal and government checks at air Force finance and accounting facilities overseas . Air forces in Europe officials said. In addition the new policy Means retirees Are now Able to Cash a larger Check than they would normally at the base Exchange or morale welfare and recreation facilities said retired air Force u. Col. Norm Hershfield director of Retiree activities at Safe. In september the defense depart ment accounting and finance office gave its approval to the air Force to join the army and the Navy in cashing checks for retirees overseas Safe officials said. Since then Safe finance officials developed a plan for its individual bases to implement the policy. There Are limits for military retirees under the policy Only . Dollar checks traveler checks or Bank drafts will be cashed. Checks May not be cashed that read for Deposit Only payable to or without recourse on the reverse Side. Military retirees must present a valid Retiree id card at time of transaction. Family members who require a Power of attorney to Cash a Retiree s Check must have their family member id and a copy of that Power of attorney on file at the finance office they visit. Daily weekly and monthly Chee cashing limits can vary at each finance Center. Under status of forces agreements military retirees May not open personal accounts at . Banking facilities in Europe such As merchants National Bank or Andrews Federal credit Union. German Central Bank Lowers key interest rates Berlin a under pressure from other nations Germany s Central Bank thursday lowered two key interest rates by Small amounts but said it remained committed to a fight against inflation. The move had not been expected. Ger Nany s government budget woes remained unresolved and the Bundesbank the nation s Independent Central Bank had Given minimal hints that its requirements for lower interest rates were being met. But Japan had lowered interest rates earlier in the Day and the danish Krone currency was under heavy pressure on for eign Exchange markets requiring five european Central Banks to intervene to sup port it. The Bundesbank s Central Council said after its weekly meeting in Frankfurt that it was lowering the Lombard rate from 9.5 percent to 9 percent and the discount rate from 8.25 percent to 8 percent. The Lombard rate is the rate at which Banks can borrow emergency Money from the Central Bank and acts As an effective ceiling on overnight rates. The discount rate is the cheapest form of Bank refinance the Bank said it would continue its in nation fighting policy but it wanted to help reduce tensions in currency markets european Currene shave been in tur Moil  summer and Germany High rates have been widely blamed. The Small changes announced thurs Day were about the same size As changes the Bundesbank made in september. They had Little effect on the turbulence in currency markets. Since then Britain and Italy devalued their currencies and left the system keep ing european Exchange rates relatively stable. Spain Portugal and Ireland have devalued their currencies and the French franc danish Krone and other currencies have come under speculative pressure be cause of the Mark s strength