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SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2017
2016 Tax season
to begin Jan. 23
visit www.oregon.gov/dor and
search for “free tax preparation
services.”
• Anyone who needs a per-
sonal income tax return booklet
can order it through the
Department of Revenue. The
booklet is available online at
www.oregon.gov/dor/forms, or
taxpayers can order a copy by
calling 503-378-4988 or by
mailing their request — along
with their name, phone number,
and mailing address — to:
Forms Oregon Department
of Revenue
PO Box 14999
Salem, OR 97309-0990
• According to a report from
the Oregon Center for Public
Policy, one in five taxpayers
who were eligible for the feder-
al Earned Income Tax Credit
didn’t claim it in past tax years.
For more information about
the credit and eligibility, visit
the IRS website at www.eitc
.irs.gov.
• On the subject of tax cred-
its: Oregon is offering a new
refundable credit to low- and
moderate-income families: the
Working Family Household
and
Dependent
Care
(WFHDC) Credit.
The new credit brings
together benefits previously
offered
under
Oregon’s
Working Family Child Care
and Child and Dependent Care
credits, and replaces both cred-
its starting in tax year 2016.
For more information on the
WFHDC credit, including
additional details on eligibility
and supporting documentation
requirements, visit www.
oregon.gov/dor and look under
“Popular Topics.”
Visit www.oregon.gov/dor
to get tax forms, check the sta-
tus of your refund or make tax
payments; or call 1 -800-356-
4222 toll-free.
from 1A
“I did it mobile for eight or
nine months and with Old
Town being such an integral
part of Florence, we were
wanting to open a place down
here. We happened to be walk-
ing by one day and saw this
place was going to be avail-
able, so we jumped on it,” she
said.
Mederios is quick to add
that FTS is a family business
in the true sense of the word.
Her mom has taken on the role
of business advisor and back
up employee, and her father is
involved in a number of ways,
including making the neces-
sary physical changes to the
storefront that currently hous-
es FTS.
“I do the tech support part
of things, but it really is a
family business. So I always
say ‘we’ when referring to the
business, because I couldn’t
do it without them,” Mederios
said. “They’ve been so sup-
portive and they have helped
so much. My dad helped with
the renovations inside and my
mom helps out here when I
am out on a service call.
Without them I couldn’t do
MARK BRENNAN/SIUSLAW NEWS
FTS’s cyber lounge on Bay Street contains both MAC and
PC workstations, as well as a large TV for guest use.
what I do here.”
The services offered at FTS
are varied, as Mederios can
help with problems of all
types. She can help with
small issues having to do with
email or phone settings for
little or no charge.
Her website lists a wide
array of services, including
tutoring and troubleshooting,
and she also offers classes in
Mac and PC use.
Mederios encourages peo-
ple to stop in with any ques-
tions or problems they have
and she will attempt to help
them in whatever way she
can, even if the problem is
easily fixed.
And she said she never
charges for service if she is
unable to repair a problem.
The response to the open-
ing of FTS has been encour-
aging.
Mederios believes as time
passes, she will be able to
provide services not only to
residents, but also to many of
the people traveling thru
Florence.
“We think that come summer
time, we are going to be a great
addition to Old Town, especial-
ly with travelers that may have
forgotten an adapter or need to
print something, or are having
a problem with their phone or
tablet,” she said.
The interior of the cyber
lounge has multiple worksta-
tions, a casual seating area in
the back of the building and a
large screen high-definition
TV for customer use.
Mederios is also open to
suggestions for other uses for
the lounge.
She said she hopes that
FTS will become a place that
community members will
gather, not only for computer
issues, but also for meeting
and spending time with their
friends and neighbors.
“All the people here have
been so nice. All the clients I
have helped have been so
supportive,” Mederios said.
“It has been very rewarding
and also very humbling to be
so appreciated and accepted
so quickly. I am really look-
ing forward to the future to
see how far we can take this.”
Florence Tech Solutions is
at 1431 Bay St. and can be
reached at 541-991-3705 and
www.florencetechsolutions
.com.
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The Oregon Department of
Revenue and the IRS will begin
processing tax returns when the
2016 tax season opens Jan. 23.
Taxpayers can submit their
returns earlier, but processing
won’t start until the tax season
officially begins. Once process-
ing begins, returns will be
processed in the order received.
As a reminder, the Oregon
Department of Revenue won’t
be issuing personal income tax
refunds until after Feb. 15.
This refund hold is part of
the state’s tax fraud prevention
activities, and will allow con-
firmation that the amounts
claimed on returns matches
what employers report on
forms W-2 and 1099.
The IRS is also holding fed-
eral tax refunds until after Feb.
15, but only for those taxpayers
claiming the Earned Income
Tax Credit or the Additional
Child Tax Credit. Here are a
few things for taxpayers to
keep in mind this tax season:
• E-filing is the fastest way
to get your tax refund. On aver-
age, taxpayers who e-file their
returns and request their refund
via direct deposit receive their
refund sooner than those who
file paper returns and request
paper refund checks.
• There are many free or
low-cost preparation options
available for both federal and
Oregon tax returns.
• Some software companies
offer free software use and e-
filing for eligible taxpayers.
• AARP and CASH Oregon
provide free and low-cost tax
preparation services throughout
local communities.
• All Oregon taxpayers
preparing their own return can
file electronically at no cost
using Oregon’s free fillable
forms.
For more information,
Tech
F LO E N C
R
Best Burger!
A nother year, another chance to show you
how much we appreciate your business!
We look forward to your visits in 2017!
1
Voted # r
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Pet
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2016 R
Choice
Open Mon- Sat 9am - 5 pm
1751 12th Street, Florence
541-997-2726
Deadlines for press releases and news items are by noon
Mondays and Thursdays. Email them to:
P RESS R ELEASES @T HE S IUSLAW N EWS . COM .
We serve Breakfast and Lunch!
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Deli Sandwiches and so much more!
Open 7 Days a week!
Eat in or call for take out!
1136 Hwy. 101 • Florence •541-997-8630
The Top Choice in
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• Clear & accurate information
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• Information you want to know
Visit our website at
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and click the 60-second
Market Update Video!
Mark
Florence Branch | 1875 Hwy 101 | Florence, OR | (541) 997-6000 | www.RealEstateFlorence.com
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