Governor Rick Snyder vows in the State of the State Address to eliminate the “job killing” Michigan Business Tax (MBT). 24 Hour News 8 anchor Sue Shaw and Andrew Johnston, of the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce discuss the elimination, challenges with the MBT, and what replace the MBT.
Yesterday, the IRS announced its new iPhone and Android App, IRS2GO.
With the app, you can check your refund status from your smartphone. It reflects the IRS (quote) “commitment to help you get the information you need — whenever you need it, wherever you are”.
Hmm… a noble commitment. Let’s see, it is definitely better than calling the IRS and waiting on the phone for 15, 30, 45 minutes and longer. But, will it deliver? We’ll have to see. In unique situations, often the people answering the phones at the IRS have difficulty getting tax status information to people. But, hopefully for standard inquiries this is a step in the right direction.
And, what about security? We’re assuming this must be one of the leading edge apps when it comes to security of personal info (right?). The app is accessed with your Social Security Number, which is supposed to get masked, encrypted, etc.
The app is driving even more incentive for e-filing too. If you file electronically, you can access your information within a couple days. If you file by paper, don’t expect to see any info delivered about your return from the app for about 4 weeks.
According to the IRS news release, the App can be used to:
Found in the Detroit Freepress:
“U.S. Treasurer Rosa Rios is welcome in Michigan anytime, especially when she comes bearing an $80 million.
That was the message from Gov. Rick Snyder, U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow and U.S. Rep. Gary Peters, who gathered at United Metal Products, a Detroit metal stamping plant, which primarily supplies the auto industry.”
The estate and gift tax changes in the recently enacted 2010 Tax Relief Act. Before the new law, there was no estate tax for 2010, but some beneficiaries could have faced higher taxes because there were less favorable income tax basis rules. Also, under the prior law, estate and other transfer taxes were scheduled to rise substantially for post-2010 transfers.
If this affects you, please read the details of the changes in our recent letter and firm publication here: “Tax Relief Act 2010 – Letter re: Estate and Gift Tax Changes“
