Desert Messenger

28 www.DesertMessenger.com February 5, 2020 THRIFT STORE Benefitting the La Paz County Animal Shelter in Parker Supported by your generous donations! 455 E. Main St. Quartzsite Open Tues. thru Sat. 9-3 928-927-4223 DO YOU HAVE EXPIRED OR UNUSED MEDICATIONS? DUMP THE DRUGS at QPD! Dispose safely at QUARTZSITE POLICE DEPT. Mon - Fri. 8am-5pm 305 N. Plymouth, Quartzsite 928-927-4644 Space donated by Desert Messenger Keep Quartzsite Clean and Beautiful As snowbirds return home to their favorite winter nests, the Desert Messenger wishes to remind everyone not to put their trimmings/ brush in the washes. Please dispose responsibly, anytime, at the Town's chipper yard, near the transfer station on Hwy. 95, 1/2 + mile north of the Firestation. THE TRANSFER STATION IS OPEN SUN. - WED. 7:30AM-2:30PM. Also please remember coyotes are wild animals... please don't feed the wildlife! Corporations are now able to elec- tronically fi le their income taxes to the Arizona Department of Revenue (ADOR). The corporate e-fi le solu- tion starts with 2019 income tax re- turns and includes partnership tax returns. "Arizona is open for business, and more companies are choosing Ari- zona every year," said Governor Ducey. "We're proud of the prog- ress we've made in shaping a more effi cient and accountable govern- ment. Expanding e-fi le is another way we're making it easier to do business in our state." "The Arizona Department of Rev- enue is pleased its commitment to enhancing effi ciencies for its cus- tomers has taken another step for- ward in expanding electronic fi ling to corporate taxpayers," said De- partment of Revenue Director Carl- ton Woodruff. "In addition to e-fi l- ing being faster and more secure, returns are verifi ed quicker than paper submissions, which benefi ts taxpayers if there are any errors that require their attention." Legislation signed into law in 2017 gives companies an e-fi le option in 2020 for tax year 2019 and becomes mandatory for corporations starting in 2021 for tax year 2020 returns. The 2017 legislation also initiated a multi-year phase-in period for busi- nesses required to fi le and pay trans- action privilege tax (TPT) electroni- cally. In 2019, the e-fi ling threshold was $10,000 with 77 percent of the more than 2.1 million TPT returns fi led electronically. For 2020, busi- nesses with an annual transaction privilege tax and use tax liability of $5,000 or more during the prior calendar year, will be required to fi le and pay electronically. In 2021, the threshold is reduced to $500 or more during the prior calendar year. "Thousands of businesses already fi le transaction privilege tax elec- tronically and now have the abil- ity to e-fi le corporate income and partnership tax returns," said Dep- uty Director Dr. Grant Nülle. "The phased-in approach gave the de- partment time to modify its infra- structure systems to begin corpo- rate e-fi ling." In tax year 2018, 183,000 corporate tax returns were fi led with the De- partment of Revenue. Electronic fi ling by individual in- come taxpayers has been growing in the state of Arizona with 83 percent of the 3.4 million individual income tax returns being e-fi led in the 2018 tax year. Check out the Arizona Department of Revenue's website at www.azdor. gov for information. Electronic filing now available for corporate taxpayers ADOR: Taxpayers, be on Look Out for Identity Theft Thieves During Tax Season The Arizona Department of Rev- enue (ADOR) treats detecting and stopping fraud with paramount importance and reminds taxpayers that tax fi ling season is a time to be aware of identity thieves looking for ways to commit tax fraud. The department points to phish- ing schemes, card-skimming de- vices, unsecure Wi-Fi networks, data breaches, computer viruses, unsafe smartphone apps, and hack- ing email accounts as ways identi- ties are stolen. Tips to help prevent being the vic- tim of identity theft: • Do not carry identifi cation with your Social Security Number (SSN) on it. • If someone wants your SSN, al- ways ask why because it is not al- ways required. • Keep personal and confi dential information in a secure place. Protect your identity during tax season • Take extra precautions when discarding personal or confi dential information. • Protect personal computers, smartphones, and other devices by using anti-virus software. • Use strong passwords and never share your passwords. • Never give personal information through unencrypted email, social media, or text messaging. One scam that targets compa- nies and continues to be reported is the W-2 scam, which is when a phishing email is sent to someone in a company's human resources or payroll offi ce that appears to be from an executive of that business and asks for payroll information containing confi dential informa- tion, be emailed immediately.The Arizona Department of Revenue advises staff to never respond to the email, and instead, connect with the person whose name is on the email by phone or in person to con- fi rm its authenticity. ADOR recom- mends companies establish specifi c internal policies to address these requests and take steps to protect employee information. Arizonans can contact the Depart- ment of Revenue's Identity Theft Call Center at (602) 716-6300, toll-free: 844-817-9691, or https:// azdor.gov/individual-income-tax- information/identity-theft. The Arizona Department of Rev- enue's fraud prevention system has stopped more than $120 million in fraudulent income tax refunds since 2015.

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