Latest news with #DepartmentofTaxation
Axios
6 days ago
- Politics
- Axios
Ohio group pushes to abolish property taxes
A group of Ohioans is seeking a statewide vote this November to eliminate property taxes statewide. Why it matters: Abolishing the tax would slash billions in funding for a variety of public services, including schools, which heavily rely on property tax levies. Catch up quick: The movement is led by Citizens for Property Tax Reform, based in Cuyahoga County. The group got the go-ahead earlier this month to start collecting signatures for the proposed constitutional amendment. What's next: Organizers have until early July to gather about 443,000 signatures from at least half of Ohio's 88 counties to reach the November ballot. Gathering began in earnest this week, group founder Keith Davey tells Axios. How it works: In Ohio, property values are based on county auditor appraisals every six years. The Department of Taxation uses mills to calculate how many dollars owners pay per $1,000 of property value. Municipalities tax property at different millage rates, but Ohio law establishes a 20-mill "floor" that guarantees school districts a certain amount of property tax revenue. Davey says his group believes increasing taxes based on increasing value is a "tax on unrealized gains." Threat level: Property tax rates and uses vary, but they're the main source of funding for schools in many communities. Local property taxes account for 70% of the Columbus City Schools' general fund. "To eliminate property taxes would completely pull the rug out of the public schools and other public services all across the state," Ohio Education Association president Scott DiMauro told WBNS-TV. What they're saying: State Rep. Sean Brennan (D-Parma) said in a statement that lawmakers should view the push for abolition as a sign that reform — rather than elimination of the tax — is needed. "The Ohio General Assembly has all but ignored the pleas for property tax reform for years, so it is no wonder Ohioans are trying to take this into their own hands." Franklin County Auditor Michael Stinziano has shared concerns about schools, senior services and the zoo. Abolishing property taxes would "cripple" townships, according to Heidi Fought, executive director of the Ohio Township Association. The other side: Davey says school funding concerns are the most common thing he hears, but says "our group does not advocate defunding anything" and instead advocates for funding "not attached to our property." He says state and local officials have had plenty of time to change property tax funding mechanisms, and now it's time to force their hand. "For years, I've been hearing that they don't have the time to put something together," he says. "But in two weeks, they put together a $600 million bond issue for the Cleveland Browns."
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
How long will it take to receive your Ohio, IRS tax refund? See the estimated schedule
While tax season is over for most Americans, the Internal Revenue Service continues to process refunds after the filing deadline. Depending on how you file can affect how long you'll have to wait for your refund. If you're owed a tax refund, it helps to know the IRS refund schedule. Here's when you could expect to see your money. If your taxes were electronically filed and accepted by April 7, it is estimated that you may see a direct deposit federal refund from the IRS by April 28, or June 6 by mail. If you filed your taxes electronically and they were accepted by April 15, it is estimated that you may expect a direct deposit federal refund from the IRS by May 6, or June 16 by mail. Ohioans who want to track state refunds can do so through the Department of Taxation's eServices Tool. It provides information for IT 1040 or SD 100 forms and is available for the current year and the past two years. If you already filed and are expecting a federal refund, it takes about 21 days to receive it from an e-filed return, and four weeks or more if mailed to the IRS. You can keep track of your federal refund through the IRS' "Where's my refund?" tool, the IRS2Go mobile app. You'll need to enter your filing status, social security or individual taxpayer ID number (ITIN), and exact refund amount. Submitting your return is not the same as the IRS accepting your return. Once it is accepted — you will know it has if you see a "Refund Sent" alert when you check your tax return status online — you won't have to wait too long for the funds to show up in your account. Once the IRS approves your refund, it could hit your bank account within days via the direct deposit option. This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: IRS refund schedule: How to check federal, Ohio refund status
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Where is my tax refund? Check status in Ohio; major change may affect 2026 refunds
Now that Tax Season is over, many Americans await their tax refunds. But big changes are coming to the way the Internal Revenue Service sends and receives taxpayer funds. An executive order signed by President Donald Trump requires the IRS to implement electronic payment options, effectively putting an end to paper checks, which the White House claims are 16 times more likely to be reported lost or stolen. The move to end the circulation of federal paper checks is effective Sept. 25. Next year's tax season might look different with the absence of paper checks, but there are other methods available to taxpayers. Do you use paper checks? Where is your refund? Here's what to know. If you already filed and are expecting a federal refund, it takes about 21 days to receive it from an e-filed return, and four weeks or more if mailed to the IRS. You can keep track of your federal refund through the IRS' "Where's my refund?" tool, the IRS2Go mobile app. You'll need to enter your filing status, social security or individual taxpayer ID number (ITIN), and exact refund amount. Ohioans who want to track state refunds can do so through the Department of Taxation's eServices Tool. It provides information for IT 1040 or SD 100 forms and is available for the current year and the past two years. The federal government will phase out paper checks for all disbursements, including tax refunds, starting in September 2025. The Trump administration claims that this is to reduce fraud, theft, costs, and delays, USA TODAY reports. Outside of the soon-to-be-ending paper checks, refund payment methods also include direct deposit (fastest), prepaid debit card, Mobile payment apps, or an existing IRA account. This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Where's my refund? Trump makes major change to 2026 IRS refunds
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill seeks administrative fix to avoid ‘manufactured crisis' in private school scholarship program
Democratic Assemblymember Daniele Monroe-Moreno. (Photo: Richard Bednarski/Nevada Current) Two years ago, a first-come first-served process allowed one Florida group to hoover up every dollar of available funding for Nevada's private school scholarship program, which led to a perceived budget shortfall and a contentious 12-hour legislative meeting. Now, Democratic Assemblymember Daniele Monroe-Moreno is sponsoring a bill aimed at addressing the administrative issues that led to that hubbub. Assembly Bill 441 does not affect the total funding amount for the Nevada Educational Choice Scholarship program, better known as Opportunity Scholarships. The program and its funding have been a political battleground for Republicans and Democrats since being established in 2015. AB441 would create a 30-day application period during which the scholarship-granting organizations would submit to the Department of Taxation their applications for accessing funds. The Department of Taxation would then approve applications based on a mandated order of priority: Students already receiving a scholarship are first, then siblings of returning students, and then everyone else. What happened in 2023 was that one Florida-based organization, AAA Scholarship Foundation, claimed the entirety of the $6.66 million available, leaving nothing for the other organizations who had been counting on the money. That led Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo to ask the Democratic-controlled Interim Finance Committee for $3.2 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds for the scholarship program. When his request was denied, Lombardo accused the majority party of 'forcibly removing hundreds of low-income students from their schools.' Democrats at the time called it a 'manufactured crisis' fanned by a Republican governor who earlier that year had proposed a massive expansion of the scholarship program only to walk away from a contentious legislative session with enough funding to keep the program at its current level. According to the most recent annual report on Opportunity Scholarships, which covered scholarships for the 2023-24 academic year, AAA had given out $5.8 million to at least 957 students and was still awarding money in December 2023. Meanwhile, three organizations that had given out money the year prior gave out nothing. Monroe-Moreno last week told lawmakers on the Assembly Revenue Committee, which advanced the bill, that AAA publicly vowed to help affected students but did not follow through. She added that one organization told her that their students did not get funded by AAA. AAA Scholarship Foundation CEO Kim Dyson declined the Nevada Current's request for an interview but emailed press releases from after that 2023 meeting stating that the organization was opening a special application period for students who'd been affected. Dyson in a letter of opposition to AB441 said that the organization 'awarded scholarships to every eligible transferring student who applied with us.' The Nevada Independent reported in September 2023 that 283 students applied to AAA for a scholarship during that application period. That was less than half the amount of the number private school voucher advocates had said would be affected by the IFC decision the prior month. For the 2024 funds, the Department of Taxation considered all applications received on one set date (June 14, 2024) to be received at the same time. Then, the department prorated the available funds, resulting in each organization receiving 76% of what they requested. Dyson in an email said the organization is 'grateful' for that change. AB441 would also require scholarship-granting organizations to expend the money they receive within 18 months, with any unspent money after that time period going back to the state. Representatives from AAA testified to lawmakers in August 2023 that the organization had $13 million in reserves. AAA on Monday confirmed to the Current that the organization still has $13 million in reserves. It's unclear how much reserves funding the other scholarship-granting organizations have. In 2023, those organizations had about $5 million combined. Dyson in a letter of opposition to AB441 argued that reserves ensure financial stability and that the organization has followed the 2017 guidance from the Nevada Department of Education and Nevada Treasurer's Office. 'Unlike some other' scholarship-granting organizations, 'we have never had to cancel scholarships for eligible returning students,' she wrote. AB441 must be passed by the full Assembly by April 22 or it will be considered dead.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Kokua Line: Is everybody getting tax ID letter?
Question : Since you have been writing about ID-proofing at Social Security, I wanted to share that I got a letter from the Hawaii tax department requiring me to verify my identity before I could receive my income tax refund. Is everyone getting these letters ? I assumed it was because my identity was misused many years ago but I've never had trouble filing my taxes. Answer : No, not all Hawaii tax filers are receiving identity verification notices in the mail, but some are, as Hawaii's Department of Taxation increases its efforts to prevent the disbursement of fraudulent tax refunds. 'Only a small percentage of taxpayers will receive an identity verification notice. DOTAX utilizes numerous data sources, including information from past and current returns to verify taxpayer identities without requiring additional taxpayer information, ' said Gary Yamashiroya, a spokesperson for the department. These notices arrive through the regular mail and some recipients have contacted DOTAX to ask if they are legitimate. They are, and DOTAX has a website explaining them, at. The letter tells the recipient how to verify their identity via or by mail. The information requested may vary by filer, but in general 'you will need the one-time password provided in the Identity Verification Notice, your Hawai 'i individual income tax returns for the current and three prior years, or copies of documents in JPEG or PNG format, ' the website says. As for why any given tax return is selected for this added level of verification, the website says 'all Hawai 'i individual income tax returns submitted undergo an identity verification review to protect taxpayer identity. Occasionally, additional information is required from the taxpayer to complete the review. The additional review does not indicate there are any issues with the taxpayer's return.' Don 't miss out on what 's happening ! Stay in touch with breaking news, as it happens, conveniently in your email inbox. It 's FREE ! Email 28141 Sign Up By clicking to sign up, you agree to Star-Advertiser 's and Google 's and. This form is protected by reCAPTCHA. Yamashiroya didn't go much beyond that when we asked him what triggers an identity verification notice, replying in an email that 'the information submitted in individual income tax returns is reviewed to verify taxpayer identity and prevent fraudsters from receiving another taxpayer's refund. The criteria for this review are continuously monitored and updated to address emerging identity fraud trends.' DOTAX urges Hawaii filers who receive this notice to verify their identity right away, as 'individual income tax returns and any associated refunds will not be processed until the identity verification review is completed.' Anyone with questions should review the FAQs and video at the aforementioned informational website, and can follow up with DOTAX via an email to if they received a notice and are unable to complete the verification. Meanwhile, regarding identity-proofing required by the U.S. Social Security Administration, the federal agency on Wednesday dropped some limitations on phone service it had said would take effect March 31, and postponed other changes until April 14. People applying for Social Security Disability Insurance, Medicare or Supplemental Security Income who cannot use a 'my Social Security ' account online will be able to complete their claims entirely over the telephone as usual, without having to come into a Social Security office. The agency said it was moving ahead with changes in phone service for certain other claimants and services, but that the new rules wouldn't take effect until April 14, to allow more time for staff training. For full details on Wednesday's update, go to.------------Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 2-200, Honolulu, HI 96813 ; call 808-529-4773 ; or email.------------
