European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 15, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                F o c us taxes Aren t inevitable but they re nearly so not electronic tax continued from Page 17 been sent to Germany for training and commands have initiated a we Klong Volunteer income tax assistance or Vita training course. We have 22 tax advisers and 16 Vita advisers Impallaria said. In addition five civilian volunteers come to our office to  Izmir also has special tax Days once a week when people with tax questions can walk in or can make appointments with tax preparers he said. Wednesday was the first tax Day. In Italy the army has electronic service through its Legal office at the Southern european task Force Headquarters at Vicenza. However the air Force and the Navy must depend on commercial preparers for the service. Peter Alessi a tax preparer for the Navy Exchange s Navy income tax Concession in Naples said his office processed electronic returns for More than 50 customers within Days of their receiving w-2 forms at the end of  it costs $42 for the electronic filing alone Alessi 18 is Jotin Bohmer tax Wise 1040 is the computer program used by Usa eur for electronic filing. Said. Customers who also want the Concession to prepare their taxes must pay an additional $25 for 1040a returns and$20for1040ezs. Last year or Block offices operating on military bases in Europe processed 28,453 tax returns. About 14,489 of those returns were filed electronically said Carrie Higley Krowka a spokeswoman for the army and air Force Exchange service in Europe headquartered at Birndorf Germany. The 36 on base or Block offices in Europe function As cafes concessions. The Concession has offices in Germany the United kingdom Italy and the Netherlands. The or Block office at Raf Mildenhall England has Nyji Luther the associated Pressi f your income is within certain limits you can avoid one of life s unpleasant chores filing a tax return. But it May be to your advantage to file anyway. Whether a return is required depends on income and filing status single couple filing jointly head of household for example. You generally must file if your 1993 income was More. Than the sum of the personal exemption.$2,350 for one person or $4,700 for a couple filing jointly and the Standard deduction. For example a couple under 65 would have to file if income was $10,900 or More. For a single person under 65, the threshold is $6,050. Different rules apply to the Blind older people and anyone who can be claimed As a dependent by another taxpayer. Even if income were lower than those thresholds filing May be a Good idea. For example the earned income credit is of considerable Benefit to working families with children and income under $23,050, but it can be claimed Only if a return is filed. Even workers who do not there s one thing most workers have in common whether it be in a factory or an office if they make More than a certain minimum they should file a tax return. Not seen More than 200 people since Jan 31, said Kristine Gonzales the franchise owner. Most of these customers anxious for their Money have opted for or Block s refund anticipation loan which gives them a Check in two Days she said. With this program customers must pay $74 for a loan against an eventual refund. Other Block services include Basic preparation of a form 1040a without any problems for $25. Basic electronic filing deposited into a Bank account for $45. Basic electronic filing sent through the mail for $53. The 10 branches of Andrews Federal credit Union offer members electronic filing for $30 if a Federal return and $20 if a state return. It takes two to three weeks to get a refund the tax forms must be filled out and the refund must go into an Andrews account. Contributing to this report staff writer Marian Hamilton in Naples Italy the stars and stripes tuesday february 15,1994