Tax system is far from social justice

THE Liberal Democrat/SNP administration in the City of Edinburgh Council should not simply roll over and accept the SNP Government's refusal to fund the £37 million renovation of the Commonwealth Pool in time for the Commonwealth Games.

It is abundantly clear that the people of Edinburgh cannot afford to pay more council tax to fund a project which will benefit the whole nation, not simply Edinburgh.

As I understand it, if the Scottish Government does not fund the majority of the costs of the project, then Edinburgh city budgets will be cut and the most vulnerable people in our city will suffer the consequences.

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Accounting Professor Offers Tax Prep Tips

While many individuals are planning New Year’s resolutions, planning your spending may save taxes in that new year. The first thing to do is review last year’s return to remind yourself of what you earned and what deductions you have taken. Then, consider changes that have happened in 2007. Some of these changes may reduce your taxes even if they didn’t reduce them in the past.

Dr. Marianne Rexer, Ph.D., CPA
Dr. Marianne Rexer, Ph.D., CPA, professor of accounting at Wilkes University, suggests taxpayers address the following questions to help with tax planning:

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Kingfield's bookkeeper retires after 37 years

KINGFIELD - The town books will be closed this last day of the year, but this will be the last time Sandra (Jean) Orbeton does it.

She is retiring today after 37 years working for the town.

"When someone has done the work well over 30 years, they do it by rote. They know where everything is and they know everyone in town so it's hard to replace that institutional memory," Administrative Assistant Greg Davis said Friday.

Orbeton won't leave her successors without her wisdom if they need it. She's not planning to change her phone number, she said Friday, and she will complete her portions of the town report.

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N.Y. audits cite schools for sloppy bookkeeping

ALBANY — Audits of 226 school systems last year found districts commonly made payments to employees that they were not entitled to and did not adequately monitor expenses to ensure they were appropriate, according to a report the state comptroller released this week.

Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said his office completed more than double the number of audits in 2007 than 2006. They included audits of nine charter schools, the first time the state has reviewed finances of the publicly funded, privately run institutions. The charter schools, however, are contesting the state's right to audit their books.

All told, the Comptroller's Office has finished 334 audits in 332 school districts to comply with a 2005 law that requires reviews of all 834 school districts, boards of cooperative educational services (BOCES), and charter schools by March 31, 2010. Another 200 audits are under way.

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