(April 15, 2013) Today, Monday, April 15, is the annual deadline to file income tax returns to both the state and the federal governments. Mailed returns must be postmarked by midnight. To file later without penalty, an official extension is required.
Many United States residents mark Tax Day as the day to file their income tax details to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The date is usually on or around April 15. However, this deadline may be extended to accommodate holidays or extreme weather conditions. For those filing a U.S. tax return but living outside the United States and Puerto Rico, Tax Day typically has fallen on June 15, due to the two-month automatic extension granted to filers by IRS Publication 54.
A large proportion of U.S. residents have to inform the IRS of all income they received in the previous fiscal year. Some groups, particularly veterans, pensioners and some low-income families, do not have to file a tax return unless they wish to qualify for certain types of income subsidy. Others may wait until the last moment to file their tax return and pay any money they owe. Some people may find that filing a tax return is complicated, while others may feel that they should not have to pay income tax. In the United States, income tax returns may be filed on paper or electronically. Now, people are encouraged to file a return via Internet as this is efficient and reduces the risk of mistakes being made or documents being lost in the post.
Tax Day is not a federal public holiday in the United States. Schools, post offices, stores and other businesses and organizations are open as usual. Public transport services run to their usual schedules and no extra congestion on highways is to be expected.
Income tax was introduced in the United States in 1861. A rate of 3 percent was levied on incomes above $800 per year and the resulting revenue was used to help fund the American Civil War effort. However, income tax was seen as unconstitutional and the law was repealed in 1872. The idea of a tax on personal income, at a rate of 2 percent, was reintroduced in the Revenue Act of 1894, but the legal status of this kind of tax was still unclear. In 1913, the 16th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified. This cleared the way for the modern income tax system in this country.
The details of the income tax system have changed greatly since 1913. The top rates of tax have varied enormously and were particularly high during World War I and II and the Great Depression. Individuals and families with very low levels of income do not have to pay income tax and may receive some subsidy via the tax system.
In 1913 Tax Day, or the filing deadline, was fixed on March 1. However, it was moved to March 15 in 1918 and to April 15 in 1955, where it has remained since then. If April 15 falls on a Saturday, Sunday or a civil holiday, the deadline is extended to the next working day. An extension due to a holiday may affect only certain states. In 2007, the residents of some states were granted an extension due to the disruption to public life in many areas caused by a huge Nor'easter storm. In some years the observance of Emancipation Day (April 16) in Washington, D.C., may be the reason to extend the national deadline. In 2007, that observance on Monday had the effect of extending the deadline to Tuesday, April 17.
Keep abreast of important dates and more by reading Recorder Community Newspapers and their blogs online at newjerseyhills.com. Anyone interested in joining the growing group of Recorder bloggers is invited to call me at (908) 832-7420 or e-mail me at panderson@recordernewspapers.com to find out about blogging, a free, simple communication tool.
Monday, April 15, 2013
Saturday, April 6, 2013
Opening day
(April 6, 2013) Today is opening day for spring trout fishing in New Jersey. And what a perfect cool, clear spring day it is for angling. Beginning at 8 a.m. many area lakes and streams are open for fishermen. To fish for trout, a valid annual N.J. fishing license and trout stamp are required for residents between 16 and 70 plus non-residents 16 or older. Others may fish for free.
Last month the State of New Jersey's Fish and Wildlife division began augmenting trout populations with regular stocking of hatchery grown fish. In some streams and lakes these are net stocked (scooped out a tank truck and lowered to the water using hand nets) and float stocked (dispersed around the lake by boat). In other places tank trucks are simply driven to the shoreline where trout are dumped into the lake or stream.
Stocking consists mostly of brown and brook trout, although other species of trout, such as rainbow, lake trout, and other more exotic types are found in some waters.
These stockings often leave fish circulating close to the place in which they are put. In some cases the fish are dumped at convenient boat launch ramps or near docks or bridges. This improves the odds of catching trout in places that are easily accessible.
The stocking trucks from Pequest Trout Hatchery in Oxford began rolling on March 18 as the spring pre-season distribution of this year's trout got under way. By year's end, about 600,000 trout will be stocked throughout the state. The "production trout" average 10.5" but were kept company prior to opening day by some of the more than 6,000 three- to eight-pound breeder trout which also are being stocked. This spring, trout will be placed in 88 streams and 90 ponds and lakes throughout New Jersey. Those trout will be in addition to some of the 26,000 bruisers still in the water from stockings in the fall and winter. Fortunately for the state's anglers, trout remain available throughout the summer in many waters.
For more information, check out the N.J. Division of Fish and Wildlife website at www.nj.gov/dep/fgw. It lists waters stocked with trout and when the stockings take place throughout the season. The site also carries a host of other fishing news and information, including a complete recital of rules and regulations. Fishing enthusiasts even can purchase licenses on line. Those under 16 and resident senior citizens over 69 do not need a license.
Last month the State of New Jersey's Fish and Wildlife division began augmenting trout populations with regular stocking of hatchery grown fish. In some streams and lakes these are net stocked (scooped out a tank truck and lowered to the water using hand nets) and float stocked (dispersed around the lake by boat). In other places tank trucks are simply driven to the shoreline where trout are dumped into the lake or stream.
Stocking consists mostly of brown and brook trout, although other species of trout, such as rainbow, lake trout, and other more exotic types are found in some waters.
These stockings often leave fish circulating close to the place in which they are put. In some cases the fish are dumped at convenient boat launch ramps or near docks or bridges. This improves the odds of catching trout in places that are easily accessible.
The stocking trucks from Pequest Trout Hatchery in Oxford began rolling on March 18 as the spring pre-season distribution of this year's trout got under way. By year's end, about 600,000 trout will be stocked throughout the state. The "production trout" average 10.5" but were kept company prior to opening day by some of the more than 6,000 three- to eight-pound breeder trout which also are being stocked. This spring, trout will be placed in 88 streams and 90 ponds and lakes throughout New Jersey. Those trout will be in addition to some of the 26,000 bruisers still in the water from stockings in the fall and winter. Fortunately for the state's anglers, trout remain available throughout the summer in many waters.
For more information, check out the N.J. Division of Fish and Wildlife website at www.nj.gov/dep/fgw. It lists waters stocked with trout and when the stockings take place throughout the season. The site also carries a host of other fishing news and information, including a complete recital of rules and regulations. Fishing enthusiasts even can purchase licenses on line. Those under 16 and resident senior citizens over 69 do not need a license.
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Spring holy days
(March 23, 2013) Easter and Passover, both movable spring holidays, occur this week this year. The method for determining the dates is complex, based on lunisolar calendars. Even though it seems as if winter is still here, the holidays follow the vernal equinox, the start of spring, which was March 20.
The Christian Holy Week begins tomorrow, Palm Sunday, March 24, and ends on Holy Saturday, which falls on March 30, the day before Easter Sunday, March 31. Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus Christ rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Sunday. The chronology of his death and resurrection is variously interpreted to be between AD 26 and 36, traditionally 33.
The Easter celebration comes after Lent, a 40-day preparatory period of fasting, prayer and penance. The last week, Holy Week, begins with Palm Sunday remembering Christ's triumphal entrance into Jerusalem and continues with Holy Thursday honoring the Last Supper (his last Passover seder), Good Friday, commemorating the crucifixion and death, and Easter Vigil Saturday, a commemoration of the day that Jesus lay in his tomb. Easter Sunday is a joyous celebration of church song and family feasting.
Easter is linked to the Jewish Passover by much of its symbolism, as well as by its position in the calendar.
Passover 2013 begins at sundown on Monday, March 25. That is the date, this year, which corresponds to the 15th of Nissan, the day according to the Bible, on which the first Passover occurred and on which all subsequent Passovers always begin. The holiday lasts for seven days in Israel and eight days everywhere else, reflecting a long-held custom honoring the fact that maintaining an accurate liturgical calendar far from Israel, where Jewish religious authority was centered in ancient times, was not so simple. The longer observance is designed to make sure nobody fails to observe the holiday on the appropriate day.
It commemorates the story of the Exodus, in which the ancient Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt. Families celebrate at a ceremonial meal called a seder featuring symbolic foods (unleavened bread, bitter herbs, a mixture of apples and nuts, roasted egg, parsley or celery, roasted lamb shank and wine) and reading of the Haggadah which tells the Exodus story.
Keep abreast of important dates and more by reading Recorder Community Newspapers and their blogs online at newjerseyhills.com. Anyone interested in joining the growing group of Recorder bloggers is invited to call me at (908) 832-7420 or e-mail me at panderson@recordernewspapers.com to find out about blogging, a free, simple communication tool.
The Christian Holy Week begins tomorrow, Palm Sunday, March 24, and ends on Holy Saturday, which falls on March 30, the day before Easter Sunday, March 31. Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus Christ rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Sunday. The chronology of his death and resurrection is variously interpreted to be between AD 26 and 36, traditionally 33.
The Easter celebration comes after Lent, a 40-day preparatory period of fasting, prayer and penance. The last week, Holy Week, begins with Palm Sunday remembering Christ's triumphal entrance into Jerusalem and continues with Holy Thursday honoring the Last Supper (his last Passover seder), Good Friday, commemorating the crucifixion and death, and Easter Vigil Saturday, a commemoration of the day that Jesus lay in his tomb. Easter Sunday is a joyous celebration of church song and family feasting.
Easter is linked to the Jewish Passover by much of its symbolism, as well as by its position in the calendar.
Passover 2013 begins at sundown on Monday, March 25. That is the date, this year, which corresponds to the 15th of Nissan, the day according to the Bible, on which the first Passover occurred and on which all subsequent Passovers always begin. The holiday lasts for seven days in Israel and eight days everywhere else, reflecting a long-held custom honoring the fact that maintaining an accurate liturgical calendar far from Israel, where Jewish religious authority was centered in ancient times, was not so simple. The longer observance is designed to make sure nobody fails to observe the holiday on the appropriate day.
It commemorates the story of the Exodus, in which the ancient Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt. Families celebrate at a ceremonial meal called a seder featuring symbolic foods (unleavened bread, bitter herbs, a mixture of apples and nuts, roasted egg, parsley or celery, roasted lamb shank and wine) and reading of the Haggadah which tells the Exodus story.
Keep abreast of important dates and more by reading Recorder Community Newspapers and their blogs online at newjerseyhills.com. Anyone interested in joining the growing group of Recorder bloggers is invited to call me at (908) 832-7420 or e-mail me at panderson@recordernewspapers.com to find out about blogging, a free, simple communication tool.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Last winter blast?
(March 19, 2013) Tomorrow, Wednesday, March 20, is the first day of spring this year, beginning with the vernal equinox at 7:02 a.m. (EDT) in the Northern Hemisphere.
The new season brings increasing daylight, warming temperatures, and the rebirth of flora and fauna. You'd never know spring was so near by the winter blast of snow that came here yesterday and today.
The word equinox is derived from the Latin words meaning “equal night.” Days and nights are about equal everywhere and the sun rises and sets due east and west.
At the equinoxes, the tilt of Earth relative to the sun is zero, which means that Earth’s axis neither points toward nor away from the sun. (However, the tilt of Earth relative to its plane of orbit, called the ecliptic plane, is always about 23.5 degrees.)
Facts like these can be found in Recorder Community Newspapers and their blogs right here online at newjerseyhills.com. Any local individual or organization representative who would like to join the growing list of Recorder bloggers is welcome to call me at (908) 832-7420 or e-mail panderson@recordernewspapers.com for details on this simple, free communication tool.
The new season brings increasing daylight, warming temperatures, and the rebirth of flora and fauna. You'd never know spring was so near by the winter blast of snow that came here yesterday and today.
The word equinox is derived from the Latin words meaning “equal night.” Days and nights are about equal everywhere and the sun rises and sets due east and west.
At the equinoxes, the tilt of Earth relative to the sun is zero, which means that Earth’s axis neither points toward nor away from the sun. (However, the tilt of Earth relative to its plane of orbit, called the ecliptic plane, is always about 23.5 degrees.)
Facts like these can be found in Recorder Community Newspapers and their blogs right here online at newjerseyhills.com. Any local individual or organization representative who would like to join the growing list of Recorder bloggers is welcome to call me at (908) 832-7420 or e-mail panderson@recordernewspapers.com for details on this simple, free communication tool.
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Name days
(March 17, 2013) Today is St. Patrick's Day, my name day. When I was just a young girl my mother told me I was named Patricia in memory of her firstborn, a son that died at birth on St. Patrick's Day. So every year, I remember my parents' sadness at his passing and happiness at my coming, the first of five children.
We're not Irish, but St. Patrick's Day was always a big day. Another special day coming this week is the Feast of St. Joseph, Tuesday, March 19, my father's birthday and name day. He would have been 100 this year. He always told us kids (and the grandkids too) we could have the day off from school in honor of his birthday. In our parish grade school we did get the day off courtesy of our pastor, also named Joseph, who shared my dad's sentiments. Those were the good old days!
I don't remember a lot from the past, but these are among my few special memories. On the other hand, my husband says he remembers his very first step. He does have a very good memory and regales anyone who will listen with stories from long ago.
We're not Irish, but St. Patrick's Day was always a big day. Another special day coming this week is the Feast of St. Joseph, Tuesday, March 19, my father's birthday and name day. He would have been 100 this year. He always told us kids (and the grandkids too) we could have the day off from school in honor of his birthday. In our parish grade school we did get the day off courtesy of our pastor, also named Joseph, who shared my dad's sentiments. Those were the good old days!
I don't remember a lot from the past, but these are among my few special memories. On the other hand, my husband says he remembers his very first step. He does have a very good memory and regales anyone who will listen with stories from long ago.
Saturday, March 9, 2013
Time to spring ahead
(March 9, 2013) Set your clocks ahead one hour before retiring tonight because Daylight Saving Time (DST) officially starts at 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 10. It will end the first Sunday in November.
Benjamin Franklin first thought up the idea of daylight saving in 1784. It wasn't instituted until World War I, when it went into effect to save energy used for lights. The Standard Time Act established time zones and daylight saving in 1918, but it was short-lived. Daylight saving was repealed the following year.
The Uniform Time Act of 1966 established DST throughout the United States and gave states the option to exempt themselves. Hawaii and most of Arizona do not follow DST. Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and American Samoa also skip out on the clock-changing fun.
In 1974 and 1975, Congress extended daylight saving to save energy during the energy crisis. In 2007, DST got a few weeks longer, running from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November.
About 70 countries around the world observe daylight saving, but many countries near the equator do not.
Facts like these can be found in Recorder Community Newspapers and their blogs right here online at newjerseyhills.com. Any local individual or organization representative who would like to join the growing list of Recorder bloggers is welcome to call me at (908) 832-7420 or e-mail panderson@recordernewspapers.com for details on this simple, free communication tool.
Benjamin Franklin first thought up the idea of daylight saving in 1784. It wasn't instituted until World War I, when it went into effect to save energy used for lights. The Standard Time Act established time zones and daylight saving in 1918, but it was short-lived. Daylight saving was repealed the following year.
The Uniform Time Act of 1966 established DST throughout the United States and gave states the option to exempt themselves. Hawaii and most of Arizona do not follow DST. Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and American Samoa also skip out on the clock-changing fun.
In 1974 and 1975, Congress extended daylight saving to save energy during the energy crisis. In 2007, DST got a few weeks longer, running from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November.
About 70 countries around the world observe daylight saving, but many countries near the equator do not.
Facts like these can be found in Recorder Community Newspapers and their blogs right here online at newjerseyhills.com. Any local individual or organization representative who would like to join the growing list of Recorder bloggers is welcome to call me at (908) 832-7420 or e-mail panderson@recordernewspapers.com for details on this simple, free communication tool.
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Presidents Day
(Feb. 16, 2013) Monday, Feb. 18, is Presidents Day, a state holiday in New Jersey, also known as Washington's Birthday, a federal holiday. Governmental offices are closed and there is no postal service. Most schools close for the day or more for a mid-winter recess, but this year, because of school closures due to Superstorm Sandy in October, some days off have been rescinded.
The holiday, observed on the third Monday of February, honors presidents of the United States, including George Washington, the nation's first president. His birthday actually is Feb. 22.
Some states pay particular attention to Abraham Lincoln, another notable president, as his birthday is close in time, Feb. 12. In the weeks or days leading up to the holiday, schools often organize events and lessons for students about the U.S. presidents, Lincoln and Washington in particular. It is a popular day for stores to hold winter sales.
Check your Recorder Community Newspapers for ads about Presidents Day sales and activities. Enjoy the weekend!
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The holiday, observed on the third Monday of February, honors presidents of the United States, including George Washington, the nation's first president. His birthday actually is Feb. 22.
Some states pay particular attention to Abraham Lincoln, another notable president, as his birthday is close in time, Feb. 12. In the weeks or days leading up to the holiday, schools often organize events and lessons for students about the U.S. presidents, Lincoln and Washington in particular. It is a popular day for stores to hold winter sales.
Check your Recorder Community Newspapers for ads about Presidents Day sales and activities. Enjoy the weekend!
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