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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 15, 2004)
---— —v i i iui jvjoijr, r\yj\ m i j, £.UU*t - J IRS deadline looms over unprepared tax filers Taxes or filing extensions must be postmarked today By Sheldon Traver Freelance Reporter In the 18th century, Benjamin Franklin uttered these now-famous words: "Nothing is certain in life ex cept death and taxes." Tax day has arrived, and with it comes stress, angst and anxiety for many students and faculty members. For those receiving refunds, today is nothing to worry about; however, many citizens are opening their wal lets and wnting checks payable to Un cle Sam before midnight. According to the Internal Revenue Service's official Web site, http://www.irs.gov, one in five Ameri cans waits until the last week to file their taxes, and most of these people will owe taxes to the government. An esti mated 8.2 million citizens are expected to file an extension on their taxes. But the IRS has this warning: "This is an extension to file a return, not an extension to pay your taxes." Filers must still pay what they estimate their taxes to be. The IRS has even made it easier to pay by accepting credit cards. "Usually I'm filing in the last week," Eugenean Fred Schaad said. "I'm a per son who just doesn't think of it.... I don't have a calendar in my brain." Rose Woods, a Eugene baker, wait ed in line at an AARP tax help site to get help on her taxes. She said pro crastination is her biggest foe when it comes to preparing taxes. "I just figure I'll have plenty of time, then it's like 'Oh no,'" Woods said about her experiences during the past few years. Many other people also stood in line at the downtown Atrium Build ing during their lunch breaks or after work, waiting for free tax help from the AARP. "We usually file 5,500 federal re turns in Eugene and Springfield every year," said Gwen Williams, the dis trict tax coordinator for the AARP. Vol unteers help people who may be chronic procrastinators or who are simply unable get their taxes done elsewhere. They also try to maximize every filer's return. "We try to let them know what to keep," Williams said. "Keep track of all donations, including Girl Scout cook ies, because 50 percent of the cost is considered a charitable donation." Most students said they already filed their taxes. BUSH continued from page 1 University College Republicans member Anthony Warren said he ex pects Bush to gain popularity in Ore gon because of his Healthy Forest Ini tiatives, which Warren said are environmentally friendly. "I think that Bush has a good chance of winning Oregon," he said, adding that he does not put much faith in polls and that it is far too early to determine Oregon's favorite. •1 The survey also found that 1 per cent of Oregonians supported inde pendent candidate Ralph Nader and 6 percent were undecided. Bloom compared the recent survey to a March 4 poll conducted by The Ore gonian, which had Kerry leading Bush 45 percent to 40 percent. The survey shows Kerry leading in the Portland area, 53 percent to 40 percent, with Bush leading through out the rest of Oregon, 51 percent to 39 percent. Kerry also leads among independ ents and political moderates, while Bush leads Republicans and conserva tives. Bush also leads with voters be tween 18 and 44, while Kerry leads with voters over 45. College-educated voters also prefer Kerry, according to the survey. The survey points out that a num ber of national polls show Kerry leading Bush, but that Bush leads in "battleground" states such as Ore gon. Bloom noted that Kerry is not well known throughout Oregon, which allows Bush to more easily af fect perceptions of the Democratic candidate. He said Bush's negative ad campaigns portraying Kerry as favor ing tax increases are causing Kerry's ratings to drop. "Those Bush ads seem to be tai lor-made for Oregon's increasingly anti-tax environment," he said in the survey. University College Democrats co Chairman Kevin Curtin agreed that the state is a "battleground" for the two parties, although he sees Kerry pulling ahead considering Gore did so in the last election. "(Oregon's) going to be very im portant to the election," he said. Bloom said it is important to note the survey's time frame and that it's too early in the game to truly predict the outcome of Oregon's majority vote. "At this point it really could go ei ther way, "he said. Contact the higher education/ student life/student affairs reporter at chelseaduncan@dailyemerald.com. W*fiUO DISCOVER THE MOST COMFORTABLE WAY TO f Call now and find prices starting as low as $499 on select units! • Free cable • Washer/Dryer • Exercise classes available • 1 & 2 bedrooms • Valley River location Kiuesi ^leWiace r 344-3536 Managed by Willamette Mgmt Group, LLC "I did it early to avoid the hassle and to have less of a chance for errors," un declared sophomore Chloe Stallworth said. She added that her parents assist her with tax preparation. Students and community members found free help with their taxes this year when accounting students from the Lundquist School of Business vol unteered to prepare taxes. "About 175 students and Eugene residents came to our Saturday ses sions, " senior accounting major Jere my Allen said about this year's work shops, run by the Beta Alpha Psi honors fraternity. Lois Douglass, an office specialist in the Office of Student Financial Aid, said it is just a myth that students re ceive more financial aid if they file their taxes early. "We will not penalize you for filing your taxes late," Douglass said. "We simply encourage people to turn in the FAFSA prior to March 1 to get pri ority status, even if you are just esti mating your taxes when completing the form." April 15 is not all work for those who wait until the last minute to file their taxes, however. "I get together with some other friends and wait until 11:45 p.m. to www.dailyemerald.com your place for news -«*_... -^ classifieds reader polls-**— —-^ archives and more-**-—_ drive to the post office for the post mark, " Portlander Quinn Richmond said. "We have a barbecue and just make a party out of it." Pioneer Courthouse Square in Port land is home to the "Dancing Gener al" every April 15. The General, who protests military spending, will dance and shout "Yeah" and "Yahoo" when ever someone drops their taxes off in the mailbox at the square. Phe U.S. Post Office is also prepar ing for the last-minute flood of filers. "We will have people collecting mail from cars until midnight," said Aric Skjelstad, assistant plant manager at the Springfield U.S. Post Office on Gateway Street. :J:.'I;':"-1 U; 11.1I I . ..I. in The Springfield Police Department will assist the post office by directing traffic and providing signs to help last minute filers get through the lines, which begin early in the evening. Starting at about 6 p.m. it stays steady until midnight," Skjelstad said. The post office in downtown Eu gene will also be open until 7 p.m. to take returns. "I'm proud to be paying taxes in the United States," said Arthur Godfrey, a 1950s comedian, said. "The only thing is — 1 could be just as proud for half the money." Sheldon Traver is a freelance reporter for the Emerald. SOCIETY Fancy-schmancy COCKTAILS & SUPER SEXY BARTENDERS! One block from UofO campus Lounge OPENS @ 5PM 1769 Franklin Blvd. 541.342.4872 Abandon all willpower, YE WHO ENTER the Siam Society. 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