WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7, 2021 | SILVERTONAPPEAL.COM
PART OF THE USA TODAY NETWORK
Automatic refund coming for taxes paid on benefits
Some people filed taxes
before new law passed
Bill Poehler
Salem Statesman Journal
USA TODAY NETWORK
People who received unemployment benefits in
2020 and filed their taxes before March 11 will receive
automatic refunds on taxes they paid on up to $10,200
in unemployment.
The American Rescue Plan, which President Joe Bi-
den signed into law March 11, gave taxpayers who
earned less than $150,000 in 2020 forgiveness on tax-
es paid on up to $10,200 in unemployment for those
who filed as single and $20,400 for couples.
But before that was signed into law, thousands had
already filed their 2020 taxes.
According to the IRS, any adjusted overpayment
will be refunded or applied to outstanding taxes owed,
and it will start making those refunds in May.
Taxpayers will not be required to file an amended
return to receive that refund.
According to the IRS, it has updated its 1040 forms
to reflect the exclusion of unemployment and notified
tax return preparers.
About 23 million workers in the United States filed
for unemployment in 2020, according to the Bureau of
Labor Statistics.
The Oregon Department of Revenue announced
last week it would automatically adjust state tax re-
turns for taxpayers who already filed.
The state estimated there were thousands of people
in Oregon who had already filed their state income tax
returns prior to the change.
“These taxpayers have already done what they were
supposed to do. They filed their tax returns on time,”
department director Betsy Imholt said in a statement.
“We’re going to fix those returns to make sure these
taxpayers get the proper refund under the new federal
law.”
Those who paid their taxes can check the status of
their state refunds online on the Oregon Department
of Revenue website.
The deadline for filing taxes has been extended to
May 17 from April 15, the second year with an exten-
sion.
Bill Poehler covers Marion County for the Statesman
Journal.
Contact
him
at
bpoehler@statesmanjournal.com or Twitter.com/
bpoehler
Sprague battles back Silverton 3-1
After a dominant first set by Sprague, the
Foxes kept it competitive, winning the second
set and tight scores in the remaining sets be-
fore the Olys won 3-1.
The Silverton Foxes talk between plays against the
Sprague Olympians.
The Silverton Foxes and the Sprague Olympians compete during the match at Sprague High School in Salem
on March 24. PHOTOS BY BRIAN HAYES / STATESMAN JOURNAL
Silverton's Leah Twede (12) jumps to block the ball.
Silverton head coach Kate Trimble watches as the Silverton Foxes and the Sprague Olympians compete.
VACCINES
What can I do now that I am vaccinated?
Stephanie Innes and Alison Steinbach
Arizona Republic | USA TODAY NETWORK
The COVID-19 vaccine represents big progress
against the new coronavirus pandemic, but health ex-
perts say even people who are fully vaccinated should
still take some precautions, at least for now.
In Oregon, restrictions vary by county and CO-
VID-19 case numbers. Marion County is currently list-
ed as high risk, and Polk County is at moderate risk.
Restaurants, gyms, theaters, stores and other facili-
ties are open but have capacity limits.
Public health advice calls for continued mitigation
measures. That’s largely because one of the most im-
portant scientific questions about the vaccine is still
unsettled — whether or not a vaccinated person can
get infected and pass the virus to someone who isn’t
vaccinated.
Until more is known about how vaccines will affect
the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes CO-
VID-19, there are still some limitations, even for peo-
ple who are vaccinated. The virus is still in circulation
and as of Thursday, only about one in six Arizonans
was fully immunized with either two doses of the Mo-
derna or Pfizer vaccine or one dose of the Johnson &
Johnson vaccine.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
recommends people who have been fully vaccinated
should keep taking precautions in public places.
Those precautions include wearing a mask, staying
six feet apart from others and avoiding crowds and
poorly ventilated spaces.
Other CDC recommendations for people who have
been fully vaccinated:
h “You can gather indoors with fully vaccinated
people without wearing a mask.
h “You can gather indoors with unvaccinated peo-
ple from one other household (for example, visiting
with relatives who all live together) without masks,
unless any of those people or anyone they live with
has an increased risk for severe illness from CO-
VID-19.
h “If you’ve been around someone who has CO-
VID-19, you do not need to stay away from others or
get tested unless you have symptoms.
h “If you live in a group setting (like a correctional
or detention facility or group home) and are around
someone who has COVID-19, you should still stay
away from others for 14 days and get tested, even if
you don’t have symptoms.”
See PRECAUTIONS, Page 3A
Vol. 140, No. 16
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69% of Oregonians
age 75 and older
now vaccinated
State has been able to accelerate
its vaccine eligibility timelines
Tracy Loew and Virginia Barreda
Salem Statesman Journal
USA TODAY NETWORK
Thousands of Oregonians became eligible for CO-
VID-19 vaccines this week, including farm and sea-
food workers, food processing workers, individuals
experiencing homelessness, adults age 45-64 with
certain underlying heath conditions, and pregnant
women age 16 and older.
On Monday, another large group will become eligi-
ble, two weeks earlier than planned. They include
frontline workers, people in multigenerational house-
holds, and anyone age 16 and older with underlying
health conditions.
Oregon has accelerated its vaccine eligibility time-
lines in response to increased shipments from the
federal government and an increased percentage of
seniors who have received vaccines, Gov. Kate Brown
said last week.
As of last week, according to the Oregon Health
Authority, the state had vaccinated:
h 69% of Oregon residents age 80 and older.
h 69% of those age 75 to 79.
See VACCINE, Page 3A