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Vol. 73, No. 2, February
2000 |
Help the elderly and disabled get their sales tax rebate
As state taxpayers cash their sales tax rebate checks, many
Wisconsin residents are still unaware that they have a share
of the rebate coming to them.
Individuals who were full-year Wisconsin residents in 1998
but did not file a 1998 Wisconsin income tax return, such as
the elderly or disabled, are eligible for a sales tax rebate
of $184. However, they must apply for the rebate by June 30 to
receive it.
This means that those most likely to need the money may not
realize that they are eligible for the rebate or know how to
get it. Retired Amery Attorney Mike Cwayna has been working
to ensure that senior citizens get the rebates to which they
are entitled - going to senior centers, nursing homes, and
churches to get the word out - and helping many complete
a simple application form. "Some elderly folks even know
they're entitled to a rebate, but they don't want to
bother because they're afraid they won't understand
the form," says Cwayna.
"Personally, I've helped complete in excess of 80
forms. Each one is a Christmas present to me; seeing someone's
face light up because that person really needs the money."
Cwayna says this simple public service project "takes
very little time, yet offers immense satisfaction. You're
helping some of society's most vulnerable get what is rightfully
theirs. Even spending just one day distributing forms to the
appropriate places makes a difference."
Call the Department of Revenue at (608) 266-2772 (in the Madison
area) or (877) 973-2283 (outside the Madison area) to request
sales tax rebate application forms. The form also is available
online at the Department
of Revenue's Web site or from any Department of Revenue
office.
Revised real estate transfer form now in effect
As of Jan. 1, Wisconsin attorneys must use a new version of
the Real Estate Transfer Return form, which has been revised
by the Department of Revenue's Division of State and Local
Finance.
The changes make the form easier to use and improve its ability
to be scanned by computer, according to John Rader of the Department
of Revenue. The most noticeable change to the form is its size;
it has gone from 8.5 x 14 to 8.5 x 11 inches. "There was
a great demand for this change from virtually all users of the
form," says Rader. "The new format is less cumbersome
and more consistent in size with other forms."
The change in size has led to changes in the form's content.
For example, the area for legal descriptions has been reduced
to one line. Previously, many legal descriptions were submitted
as attachments, according to the Department of Revenue; the change
will mean a slight increase in the number of forms returned with
attachments. Another concession to the 8.5 x 11 format has the
grantor's address moved to the back of the form and much
of the information is rearranged.
A committee of more than 30 people, including local officials,
division staff, representatives of law firms, title companies,
software firms, and assessors were involved in the form's
revision. The State Bar Real Property, Probate, and Trust Law
Section also provided input in the final stages of revision.
Instructions for the Real Estate Transfer form and a sample
of the form are available
online. The form itself, however, is not available online.
For free copies of the form, call (608) 266-1961.
In addition, several software vendors sell templates that
help attorneys complete the form. These include:
Famous trials site offers legal history lesson
Famous
American Trials takes an extensive look at some of the country's
most famous trials and their participants through actual court
documents and transcripts, recordings, images, biographies, bibliographies,
and interviews. University of Missouri law professor Douglas
O. Linder, who maintains the site, provides his own brief history
of the cases.
So far, the site covers the Leopold and Loeb, Scopes "Monkey,"
Rosenbergs, Amistad, Bill Haywood, Salem witchcraft, My Lai court
martial, Scottsboro, Dakota conflict, "Mississippi Burning,"
Chicago Seven, and Johnson impeachment trials. Areas currently
"under construction" include the Lindbergh, Sacco-Vanzetti,
Rodney King, and O.J. Simpson trials.
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