News You Can Use

April 6, 2007

Income Tax Filing Tips 

With the deadline for filing income taxes quickly approaching, the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General is offering a few tips to help you sift through the advertisements for tax preparation services, software, and speedy refunds. 

When opting to use a tax preparation service, ask for a breakdown of fees prior to preparation of your return.  Expect a fee for the preparation of your return, but you do not have to choose electronic filing and direct deposit thereby reducing costs.  According to the Attorney General, you may find the additional fees a positive since electronic filing and direct deposit speed up the process. 

Taxpayers should know there is no such thing as an advertised speedy refund.  All refunds are issued by the IRS or state and local taxing authorities.  Offers for upfront money come tied to a loan known as a Refund Anticipation Loan (RAL).  The taxpayer receives the amount of the refund minus a range of fees – loan fees, electronic filing fees, document preparation fees and tax preparation fees making it a high-cost, short-term loan secured by the taxpayer's expected refund. 

Click here for more advice on tax preparation from the PA Office of Attorney General. 

Motorists are being reminded of special active work zone laws that are now in effect.  Motorists caught driving 11 miles per hour or more above the posted speed limit in an active Pennsylvania work zone automatically lose their license for 15 days.  Fines for certain traffic violations, such as speeding and DUI, are doubled in active work zones.  

According to PA Department of Transportation (PennDOT) 2005 statistics, 1,888 crashes occurred in work zones.  Aggressive driving and distracted drivers are blamed as the biggest cause of those crashes.  There were 30 fatalities in well-marked highway work areas, three of those deaths included highway workers.  

Speed-related crashes cost society more than $23 billion a year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).  The probability of death, disfigurement, or debilitating injury doubles for every 10 miles per hour (mph) over 50 mph that a vehicle travels. 

Click here for more on work-zone safety from PennDOT. 

Saturday, April 14, 2007 will be a two-for-one kind of day for many Pennsylvanians.  Visit one of the PA Historical & Museum Commission's (PHMC) Trail of History sites and the museum will admit two children free with the purchase of one adult admission.  At the same time, interested families will be provided enrollment information for the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) known as Cover All Kids. 

As expanded income guidelines are implemented for Cover All Kids, the State's museums and historical sites will help spread the word on the availability of affordable health care coverage for any uninsured child not eligible for or enrolled in Medical Assistance.  Covered services include doctor visits, prescription drugs, dental and eye care, immunizations, hospitalization, and emergency care. 

Find out if your family qualifies for free or low-cost premiums for CHIP by calling 1-800-986-KIDS or by visiting Cover All Kids.  The CHIP web site also offers downloadable PHMC admission coupons.  All Pennsylvania Trail of History sites are listed here.

Until recently, buying pet food appeared to be relatively simple.  Consumers are now learning all pet foods are not created equal.  The recent pet food recall required pet owners to take a closer look at the labels, which can be a confusing venture.  

According to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), a product's name and net quantity statement are regulated through the agency's Center for Veterinary Medicine.  A product labeled "Beef for Dogs" and "Beef Dinner for Dogs" are different.  Under the "dinner" label the beef would probably be the third or fourth ingredient on the content list.  "Beef for Dogs" translates into 95% beef not counting the condiments and water added.  

Cat owners should not confuse "Cat Food with Tuna" and "Tuna Cat Food" as having similar contents.  FDA rules require the first to have only 3% tuna and the second with at least 95% tuna.  However, whether it is cat or dog food, terms such as "premium", "super premium", "ultra-premium", and "gourmet" are not required to contain any different or higher quality ingredients, nor are they held up to any higher nutritional standards than are any other complete and balanced products, according to the FDA.  

Understanding a number of additional distinctions in pet food labeling will help you choose the food that is right for your pet.  The FDA has developed a consumer fact sheet on interpreting pet food labels and a fact sheet on interpreting labels for treats, chews and special use pet foods.  

Click here for the most recent update on the pet food recall.

Springtime Brings West Nile Virus Reminders

Pennsylvania's aggressive mosquito surveillance and control program includes a component targeting personal protection – "Dump it, drain it, treat it."  The PA Department of Environmental Protection is reminding homeowners to get rid of standing water on their property. 

Eliminating or treating standing water removes the mosquito's breeding grounds and prevents the spread of West Nile Virus.  Start by draining your ceramic pots, plastic containers or similar water-holding containers around your house.  Remove any discarded tires, where most mosquitoes breed.  Drill holes in the bottom of recycling containers left outside.  For more on avoiding the spread of West Nile Virus including tips on preventing insect bites, consult PA's "What Can I Do? Webpage. 

The State's West Nile Surveillance Program is preparing for the 2007 mosquito season.  Preparations, including updating the website to provide the public with the most accurate information to protect residents in all 67 counties.  See the PA Department of Health Fact Sheet on West Nile Virus and Encephalitis for details on the disease.

Pennsylvania is issuing an updated version of the "PA Emergency Preparedness Guide" just in time for National Public Health Week.  PA is joining the 2007 campaign entitled, "Taking the First Step – Preparedness and Public Health Threats:  Addressing the Unique Needs of the Nation's Vulnerable Populations". 

Emergency preparedness and public health are intrinsically linked, according to the PA Department of Health.  Pennsylvanians are urged to better educate themselves in preparation for any type of public health emergency – from a natural disaster to an outbreak of disease. 

The Department recommends a series of steps to protect you and your family.  Beyond packing an emergency disaster supplies kit, other health preparedness tips address shelters, special needs populations, mental health issues, pandemic influenza, as well as biological, chemical, radiological and nuclear weapons.