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Oswego State Students Offer Free Tax Filing
by Jamie Aranoff
Oswego, NY- Students in Oswego State’s MBA program volunteered their time to do free income tax reports for both students and members of the Oswego community.
The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program (VITA) has been a part of the Oswego State campus for over ten years. The VITA program assists students who are new to doing taxes on their own as well as community members.
According to a press release, the Oswego VITA program received a score of 100 percent in quality site requirements in its IRS field audit.
VITA on-site program coordinator Kevin Kania says tax forms are sent by the students to the IRS electronically. If there are any questions or concerns about a form, the IRS will contact them.
“Last year we had over a 99 percent approval rating, which means over 99 percent of the returns we prepare were accepted by the IRS which means we did them correctly and there were no issues or questions for us,” he said.
According to City-Data, the median household income in Oswego was $39,632 in 2015. Many residents fit the requirement for VITA’s minimum income, bringing in many tax forms for student volunteers to file.
“Last year we preformed over 400 returns and this year we’re on track to get over 400 returns throughout the whole semester,” Kania said.
The last day to file taxes is Apr. 18.
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Styrofoam and Smoking On Public Property Ban
OSWEGO, NY—On Monday, October 27, Mayor Billy Barlow and City Hall officials unanimously voted to ban the use of styrofoam and smoking on public properties.
A concerned member of the community took the opportunity to speak about the effect of smoking on the community.
“Discarding cigarette butts constitute the majority of litter on beaches, playgrounds, etc. The reduction of use results in reduced clean up costs for the community,” said the woman.
Cigarette filters, e-cigarette pods and plastic wrappers all contain toxic chemicals that can leak into water supplies and are non-biodegradable. These products can also pose a major threat to children and small animals.
“That’s the bottom line for me is quality of life. There will be improvement for us, as current residents as well as the future residents,” said Council Member Robert A. Corridino.
SUNY Oswego students also expressed their support for the ban, but adding more can and should be done.
“To have them all be more encompassing and have a more robust ‘Keep Oswego Clean Initiative.’ I feel like besides just banning styrofoam products they should too expand it to ban other single use plastic products as well…” said former Student Association President, Omar van Reenan. “Then we also have to take that responsibility to heart and act on that responsibility to protect not just the people but the environment of the city of Oswego as well.”
Now that it has been passed, the initiative will go into effect on April 22, 2020, which is also Earth Day.
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Oswego Polar Plunge
The Special Olympics New York Central Region is hosting their third annual Polar Plunge in Wrights Landing, Oswego.
The event will take place on March 28, and involves participants jumping into the lake at Wrights Landing regardless of the weather conditions of the time.
By registering, participants will have the opportunity to raise money for the athletes of the Special Olympics, and those who raise $100 or more receive a Polar Plunge Sweatshirt.
To register or for more information on other forms of involvement visit polarplungeny.org.
