Salem Community Patriot January 28, 2011 - 9


Thumbs Up? Thumbs Down?


Comments expressed in this column are the sole views of those callers and do not reflect the views of the Area News Group or its advertisers. Town and school officials encourage readers to seek out assistance directly to resolve any problems or issues. The Area News editorial staff holds the right to refuse any comment deemed inappropriate.


Piece of the Pie Maintaining Your


The Tax Return - Know Your Preparer W.F.Boutin EA - Total Tax Solutions LLC


The IRS has recently issued new rules for Federal Tax Return Preparers. These new regulations and procedures will definitely better serve taxpayers, tax administration and the tax professional industry.


Regulations taking effect on January 1, 2011 will require all paid tax return preparers, including attorneys, certified public accoun- tants and enrolled agents, to have a Preparer Tax Identification Number or PTIN prior to preparing a return in 2011. In the past any person could prepare a federal income tax return for a fee. There are no minimum competency standards in place. Therefore the second phase to becoming a Registered Tax Return Preparer, will be for a tax return preparer to pass a competency test. Testing is scheduled to begin in mid 2011. There will be two levels of competency exams: (1) for Wage and non-business Form 1040 series income and (2) for Wage and Small Business Form 1040 series income. Preparers, who currently have a PTIN number prior to the testing parameters being set in place, will have three years to pass these tests. Once testing is initiated, any person wishing to prepare taxes for a fee will be required to pass these tests prior to receiving a PTIN. Attorneys, CPAs and EAs will be exempt from this testing since they already take competency tests. No preparer will be "grand fathered" because of previous experience. Once the exams are in place, Registered Return Preparers will be required to complete continuing education courses annually. The start date of this phase is yet to be determined. Once again, Attorneys, CPAs and EAs will be exempt from this continuing education since they already are required to complete continuing education to maintain their accreditations. As you can see, the tax preparation industry will now be required to prove competency in Tax Law. To coincide with these changes, Total Tax Solutions will be offering (3) Tax Courses and (8) three hour seminars starting this May. The courses that we will be offering will enable a current preparer to refresh their knowledge prior to taking their exams. However, we believe that every taxpayer, especially self preparers, would benefit from this knowledge as well. Information gained from this course material would help the


average taxpayer understand how the income tax return works to make better decisions towards their own financial future. Especially now with so many news reports of proposed tax law changes, they will better understand how these proposals will affect their unique situations or individual circumstances. Having taught a similar course for 8 years, I have seen some prior students realize that their own prior tax returns were missing information. This knowledge allowed them to amend their prior returns and immediately benefit from their tuition costs. Two of the three courses we will be offering are 30 hour courses focusing on 1) Basic Income Tax and 2) A Small Business Owner’s Tax Course. The third course is a 60 hour Comprehensive Income Tax Course. For more information about our courses and seminars please visit out website at www.totaltxsolutions.com. As I stated in the first article of this series, knowledge and understanding is a very powerful weapon. Understanding your tax return will help you plan and make informed decisions about your financial future. Next week – Taxes: They Are A Changing Have a tax question? E-mail taxquest@totaltxsolutions.com About Total Tax Solutions: W.F. Boutin EA registered Total Tax Solutions in


the State of NH as a LLC in the summer of 2006 after 10 years experience working for a major tax preparation company and 8 years of teaching various tax courses. The company mission is to deliver an excellent customer service experience year around, to offer knowledgeable advice so that clients can make informed decisions regarding their financial future, and to provide this service with integrity, confidence and professionalism.


“Thumbs up to the North Salem Elementary teachers for the amazing turnout at the January PTA meeting, especially the newest members. Your votes were critical in getting us the new net books for the school.”


“Thumbs up to the Salem police department. Until you have served as a police officer, MP or other law enforcement officer, don’t comment on the shooting of a suicidal, armed individual. A person who cares not whether to live or die has no regard for himself or others; even if they are trying to help them. I support the Salem PD and you should too. Salem is a great place to live because of the hard work they perform every day and night. K.G. Salem, NH.“


“Thumbs up, way up to Majority Leader Representative D.J. Bettencourt for his courage to tackle our budget deficit in the face of vicious attacks and bullying.”


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“Thumbs down as far as they can go to the people who are criticizing, disrespecting and telling the Salem PD how to do their job. The AG’s report was not released prior to your comments, yet you write as if you know all the facts and have been trained in how to handle situations such as this. None of you were there, nor have you read the report as to the FACTS. I hope if any of you are Salem citizens that you have packed your bags and are moving to another town. You do not deserve to be protected by these brave men and women who you hold in such low regard.”


“Thumbs down, way down to the National Organization for Marriage. Find another issue. It’s marriage, for two loving people, what’s so difficult about it? It’s a civil matter, period.”


“Thumbs up to my MARINE, Pvt. Chris


Pascoe. Pvt. Pascoe graduated from Parris Island, 1st battalion, B Co. Platoon 1000, on Jan. 21 2011. Pvt we all are so proud of you, I am so proud of you. You made this old Army SSG wish he was a Marine. SEMPER FIDELIS!!!”


Balduccispizza.com “Thumbs up to


the Pelham P.D. Yes, it cost a lot of time, money, and resources, and a lot of people were inconvenienced, but at least no one got shot. I think mental illness played a role in both of these cases, and shooting someone should be used only as a last resort.”


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“Thumbs up to Majority Leader DJ Bettencourt for his courage in putting New Hampshire’s priorities in their correct order. Stick to your guns.”


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who corrected me regarding my Bull Mastiff being entangled w/ the Chihuahuas, you have a strong point, I believe from now on I will carry a little poop bag and a bag of hot Habanero peppers, just in case. Thank you for setting me straight!! Who knows, it may be a Mexican dinner for Girlie. Who am I to suppress her education? Or appetite?!”


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“Thumbs down to the homophobes at the National Organization for Marriage for their nasty attack mailer against DJ Bettencourt. Shame on you.”


“Thumbs down to


HB 39. Please call your representatives to have them vote against this. All districts especially small districts in the state would be responsible for paying for world languages, music, arts, and health and technology education. The state needs to be responsible for a


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for focusing on New Hampshire’s economy. Jobs and the economy are what most folks care about.”


“Thumbs down to flip-flop McBride. In


your January 21 edition McBride states he has served since 1993 and has always supported fiscally conservative budgets that have yielded a low town tax rate. Has he seen what people are paying for taxes in this town? In November we elected a new group of reps and come March Mr. Flip-flop shall join those who claim to be fiscally conservative yet spend our dollars in a very liberal way. Remember the water meters Mr. Flip-flop.”


“Thumbs down to the National Organization for Marriage for sticking their nose where it doesn’t belong. Stay in Washington and leave New Hampshire alone!”


“Thumbs up, way up to the Salem DPW for their non stop efforts in keeping all the Salem roads safe and clean from all of the snow we have received. Day and night they are there some of them days on end. To the naysayers try 60 hours straight. Grab a shovel if you need to complain! Aw ya to the DPW!”


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well-rounded education for all students, not just rich districts.”


“Thumbs down to the National Organization for Marriage for their sleazy attack against Representative Bettencourt.”


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“Thumbs down to the National Organization for Marriage for their ridiculous and hateful mailer against one of our State Representatives. I’ve never voted for Rep. Bettencourt before but he has my support now.”


Jim Thomas and his men that plow Westgate Arms in Salem. When I go to work at 7am the parking lot is always plowed and when I come home from work the parking lot looks fantastic. I never have a problem finding a clean space to park in. I know they all


work a lot of hours and it shows, not like other places I’ve gone to in Salem, you can’t find a clean space to park. They should be commended for their hard work. I believe this is the nicest place to live in Salem.”


“Thumbs up to Representative Bettencourt FREE


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New Year- New Insurance- New SMILE! Get the MOST out of your Insurance


Thinking of changing your insurance- This is the time of year when dental insurance selections are made by many people. If you’re confused or unsure what to do- please give us a call


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“Thumbs up to all the members of the Salem Police Department, from the dispatchers, officers, detectives, school officers. Thank you for protecting the community, thank you for sacrificing your lives everyday you put on that uniform. To all of you complaining of the incident on Policy Street, know your facts before you run your mouths! ‘Thumbs down’ to you! Getting your paycheck doesn’t mean you have to face death every day, to all of our service people it does! Thanks again!”


“Thumbs up to Majority Leader D.J. Bettencourt! Bravo for fully understanding that ‘it’s the economy, stupid!’”


Tank you for your submissions. All comments, thumbs up or down, are anonymous and not written by the Area News staff. Tumbs comments can be sent via telephone, 880-1516 or emailed to us at thumbs@areanewsgroup.com. When submitting a Tumbs comment, please specify that you would like it printed in the Salem Edition. No names are necessary. Please keep negative comments to the issue. Comments should be kept to 100 words or less.


Salem Family Resources Seeks Nominations for 2011 Children’s Champion Award


submitted by Laurel Redden Salem Family Resources is taking nominations now for its second annual Children’s Champion Award. Children’s Champions are recognized for their significant work toward bettering the lives of children in the greater Salem area in the areas of early learning, family wellness, and early development. Previous Children’s Champion Award winners were Salem residents Sheila Murray and Nancy D’Agostino. The award will be presented at the group’s “Tot to Teen


Fashion Show and Tea” fundraiser Saturday, April 16, from 1-3 p.m. at Searles Castle in Windham. Nominations are due March 11; nomination forms can be


downloaded at the Salem Family Resources Website (www. salemfamilyresources.org) or by calling 898-5493. For more information about the award, see www. salemfamilyresources.org.


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