NEWS
A14 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
Plastics
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2020
BTW
Continued from Page A1
Saturday, the founda-
tion hosted its annual crab-
feed and auction fundraiser,
which is where nearly 100%
of its funding comes from.
“I’m so impressed with
generosity of Hermiston,”
George Clough, co-presi-
dent of the foundation board,
said. “We did well.”
Clough said that offi cial
fi gures will be tallied at the
next board meeting, but that
the Hermiston Community
Center where the fundraiser
took place was packed.
“Our goals are to basi-
cally supplement the offer-
ings at the school district.
Things that don’t fi t into
the mainstream budget,” he
Taxes
Continued from Page A1
Barnett, co-founder and
shareholder of Hermiston’s
Barnett & Moro. “The more
and better you do it, the more
likely you are to be able to
make your deductions and
receive a bigger refund, or
be able to defend yourself if
you’re audited.”
Maintaining
thorough
records has aided the 40 or
so businesses and partner-
ships that Pendleton’s RBH
Group and Lonnie Read
have helped in getting their
taxes fi led this week. Read,
who is a partner with the
group, said many of the cli-
ents they’ve seen so far
already had everything pre-
pared and only had to wait
for their fi nancial num-
bers from December to be
fi nalized.
Read said too many peo-
ple often rush their taxes and
make a mistake or can for-
get to include something
entirely, which then means
they have to fi le an amended
return later in the year and
often have complications
getting their return.
Read added that the prev-
Continued from Page A1
Staff photo by Jessica Pollard
Hermiston High School students can recycle plastic materials
leftover from 3D printing assignments with the help of a
Hermiston Education Foundation grant, which allowed for
the purchase of a fi lament grinder and extruder.
added.
This coming year, the
Hermiston Education Foun-
dation will begin offering
scholarships to faculty to aid
with certifi cation updates.
alence of identity theft and
scammers today means it’s
also safer to fi le your taxes
early.
“The longer you wait to
fi le, the more opportunity
someone who’s stolen your
identity has to fi le before
you,” he said.
Many accountants in
Umatilla County are busy
in the fi rst weeks of tax sea-
son because they primarily
serve farm and agricultural
clients, who have an expe-
dited deadline of March 1
if they don’t want to make
estimated tax payments
throughout the year.
The county’s tax profes-
sionals recommend reaching
out ahead of time to sched-
ule an appointment if you
have any questions or have a
more complex fi ling circum-
stance. Barnett added that a
complex marital or child sit-
uation can also cause confu-
sion when fi ling.
“It shouldn’t be this dif-
fi cult,” Barnett said of fi l-
ing taxes. “But I swear
since I’ve been helping peo-
ple with them, the law has
grown from about 4 inches
thick to 4 feet thick.”
Last year was the fi rst tax
season following major fed-
eral tax reforms passed by
Congress in the Tax Cuts
and Jobs Act, which Neis-
tadt said “affected almost
everything we did for tax fi l-
ing season.”
Neistadt said the IRS has
provided clarifi cations and
additional details on certain
aspects of the new laws, but
for the most part individu-
als have little to worry about
when it comes to changes
this year.
“As a general rule, things
this year have stayed rel-
atively the same,” Barnett
said.
But there’s still room to
better understand how to
navigate the law.
“One
misconception
I’ve seen a lot of is that
because the federal gov-
ernment raised the standard
deduction, people are say-
ing, ‘Why am I even both-
ering looking at my itemiza-
tions?’” Read said. “Even
though the federal govern-
ment did, the state of Ore-
gon didn’t.”
The Tax Cuts and Jobs
Act raised the standard fed-
eral deduction for single fi l-
ers from $6,350 in 2017 to
now $12,200 this year, along
with raising it from $12,700
for spouses fi ling jointly in
2017 to $24,400 this year.
release. She will work out
of the Hermiston offi ce at
945 SE Fourth St., Suite B.
Pierson has a bachelor’s
degree in animal science
and experience in agricul-
tural sales and marketing.
She is an member of the
Boardman City Coun-
cil, Boardman Kiwanis
Club and Oregon Cat-
tlewomen. She said she
became a real estate agent
to provide new opportuni-
ties for her family.
“It’s an exciting time to
be here,” she said in a state-
ment. “Our communities
are progressing and thriv-
ing, while honoring tradi-
Taxpayers must opt for
the standard deduction or
provide records for itemized
deductions, and last year the
number of people opting
to itemize their deductions
dropped from 30% in 2018
to just 10%, according to the
IRS.
Though most individu-
als will again benefi t more
by taking the raised standard
deduction, tax preparers say
it can still pay to tally them
in Oregon.
Neistadt said those who
make large charitable contri-
butions and those with high
property taxes should con-
sider itemizing their deduc-
tions, and Read said those
who incurred any major
medical expenses in the
last year should be aware of
the tax breaks extended by
the federal government this
season.
On Wednesday, the Ore-
gon Department of Revenue
announced the extension of
tax breaks for medical and
dental expenses that exceed
7.5% of an individual’s
yearly gross income.
The big change busi-
nesses in Oregon have on
their mind is the Corporate
Activity Tax, which was
passed by the Oregon Legis-
tions and the people before
us. We’re really blessed
with people who truly care.”
For more information
contact Pierson at 541-561-
0330 or lesliepierson@
windermere.com.
• • •
This year marks the 75th
anniversary of the found-
ing of Bank of Eastern
Oregon.
The bank will be cele-
brating with open houses
throughout the year at each
of its 20 branches, starting
in February.
The Arlington and Con-
don branches will go fi rst
with celebrations held Feb.
10-14.
The bank was fi rst
founded in 1945 in Gilliam
County by a group of farm-
ers and ranchers who saw a
need for a bank in Eastern
lature in 2019.
The tax requires all busi-
nesses in the state that gen-
erate $750,000 in yearly
revenue to register with the
Oregon Department of Rev-
enue, and to then pay a tax
of 0.57% on all revenue
exceeding $1 million.
Barnett said nearly every
business generates more
than $1 million in reve-
nue and the only businesses
exempt from the tax are gro-
cery stores and fuel distribu-
tors. The tax will raise fund-
ing for education in the state
and is projected to raise $2.8
billion from 2021 to 2023.
Read said businesses are
already aware of the com-
ing tax and that most already
seek professional help for
fi ling their taxes.
But what about peo-
ple who can’t afford to
hire an accountant or pay
for another tax preparation
service?
Each year, the Ameri-
can Association of Retired
Persons (AARP) hosts a
free tax preparation service
called Tax-Aide. The ser-
vice is staffed completely
by volunteers, all trained by
the IRS, and is open to peo-
ple of all ages and incomes.
No AARP membership is
Oregon.
For more information,
and to see a historical video
about the bank, visit www.
beobank.com.
• • •
The menu for Thursday
at the Harkenrider Senior
Activity Center is baked
chicken, mashed potatoes
and gravy, salad and des-
sert. Friday is sloppy Joes,
potato chips, fruit and des-
sert. Monday is pork sand-
wich, pea salad, fruit and
dessert. Tuesday is spa-
ghetti, garlic bread, green
salad and dessert. Next
Wednesday is potato soup,
garlic bread, salad and
dessert.
— You can submit items
for our weekly By The Way
column by emailing your
tips to editor@hermiston-
herald.com.
required.
“It’s designed for low
or moderate income peo-
ple who have fairly sim-
ple tax return needs,” said
Joyce DeMonnin, commu-
nications director for AARP
Oregon.
Last year, volunteers
helped Oregonians fi le
45,000 federal tax returns,
DeMonnin said, which
yielded $48 million in
refunds.
Starting Feb. 3, AARP
Oregon will hold walk-in
tax prep services in Herm-
iston at the library on Tues-
days and Thursdays from
9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Board-
man will have services avail-
able at the senior center on
Wednesdays from 8:30 a.m.
to 2:30 p.m.
When it comes to tax
season, regardless of how
you’re fi ling your return in
2020, just don’t ignore it.
“I think it’s important
that people are very aware
of their fi nancial situation,”
Neistadt said. “Not just as
it relates to taxes but per-
sonally as well. I think that
the more you pay atten-
tion to what’s going on, the
less likely you are to have a
major fi nancial crisis down
the road.”
Good Shepherd Health Care
System is pleased to introduce
oncology services tailored to the
needs of individual patients within
our local area.
Stephen Iacoboni, M.D., is an
oncology specialist with the
distinction of being the first board
certified oncologist in the region. He
brings a wealth of knowledge and
expertise to the community with 40
years of experience in the treatment
of various facets and types of cancer
and blood disorders.
“
Good Shepherd Health Care Systems
offers the opportunity to enact a vision
of oncology that will truly be beneficial
to our community.
”
Meet Our
New Oncologist
Stephen Iacoboni, MD
Welcoming
New Patients
GOOD SHEPHERD
MEDICAL GROUP
Oncology & Hematology
541.667.3680
Good Shepherd Medical Center
Treatment Center, Unit C
610 NW 11th St.
Hermiston, OR. 97838