Desert Messenger

• Birth • Obituary • Anniversary Place it FREE in the: Desert Messenger! 928-916-4235 Got something to share? November 4, 2020 www.DesertMessenger.com 19 By Jackie Deal My printer just died. What do I do now? Prepare a funeral service? Sing a dirge? (I can't sing.) Reserve it a special place in Gehanna (pur- gatory)? Write its obituary? Now that I could do. Actually, it wasn't an unexpected death. For several weeks it's been giving me a message in that little window that tells what it can't or won't do that you want it to do: "A printer's ink pad is near- ing the end of its service life." What the hey is an ink pad? And what's a ser- vice life? It did sound irksome but I kept us- ing it hoping it would take care of itself. Con- sidering any warranty probably expired de- cades ago, I didn't an- ticipate any help from the manufacturer. (Still don't) But sometimes miraculous things happen. Don't they? Really? They don't? Today was D day. The little win- dow turned bright red and spouted: "A printer's ink pad is at the end of its service life." No longer a warn- ing of impending doom: this is it, I'm dead. Now it so happened that a dear friend had just given me a printer and I tried to hook it up but failed. Do you suppose my old printer was in a snit about being re- placed? If so, somebody has bugged my computer! Death of a printer You know of course, that this is Sunday and no offi ce supply places are open. So I must wait til Monday to call and see what "a printer's ink pad" is. I know about some pads: sketch pads, notepaper pads, even some pads that people don't want to know about. But ink pads? I know that ink cartridges run dry and cost half of your retirement savings and yes, you can refi ll your own but I've heard horror stories about them ex- ploding. Can you imagine the mess that would make? Messes are my spe- cialty. I was using diluted, yes very di- luted, bleach to clean my kitchen sink. Very carefully. I had on a brand new sweatshirt (it proclaimed Ari- zona but I bought it in Oregon; go fi gure). Now I have large, very large, polka dots on both sleeves of my new Arizona/Oregon sweatshirt. Last night I was trying to open a cardboard box of wine. Yes, I'm a wine connoisseur and this was a red wine; my neighbors were having a pizza party (only ten and all eat- ing without removing their masks). Somehow the box started leaking, all by itself. Maybe I punctured it when I used a knife to get it open; you think? I swear they put red col- oring in that wine; cuz now I'm back to using bleach trying to get my counter clean. Stand by for a report on the latest polka dot fashions. In fi scal year 2020, Arizona Dept. of Revenue (ADOR) stopped more than $19 million from fraudulent tax returns, which is three times the amount compared to last year. Halloween time is no different. Taxpayers are reminded to be cau- tious and not to be haunted by past "ghost" prepared returns.A ghost preparer is paid to prepare a tax re- turn, but does not sign it or include necessary information. The Arizona Department of Revenue (ADOR) warns taxpayers of possible scams if a preparer won't state their name on the tax return. By law, anyone who prepares or as- sists in preparing federal and state tax returns for compensation must have a valid 2020 Preparer Tax Identifi cation Number (PTIN). Paid tax preparers are required to sign and include their PTIN on the paper tax returns they prepare. For elec- tronically fi led returns, the preparer must list their name and PTIN. By not providing the required in- formation, it may appear the return was self-prepared, which benefi ts the ghost tax preparer by staying under the radar. Also, ghost prepar- ers may promise a larger refund and charge fees based on a percentage of the refund, which is prohibited. The Department of Revenue advises taxpayers that it is important to ask questions and carefully review their tax returns. Ultimately, the taxpayer is responsible for what is fi led, re- gardless of who prepared the return. Tips for taxpayers: □ Verify if the preparer is available year-round to explain how the re- turn was prepared in the event of an examination. □ Confi rm any additional costs for service prior to preparation. □ Ask any questions before sign- ing and fi ling. Ask the preparer to explain deductions, credits, and wages claimed. □ Ensure the tax preparer provides you with a copy of the entire return, including schedules, if there are itemized deductions or credits. □ Carefully review the tax return before submitting, ensure numbers are correct, and schedules add up to source documents. ADOR recommends taxpayers with concerns about their tax preparer should report it to the department's "Report Tax Fraud Hotline" (602) 542-4023 or at https://azdor.gov/ contact-us/report-tax-fraud. Be suspicious of ghost tax preparers What the hey is an ink sidering any warranty brand new sweatshirt very large, polka dots 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! too much junk? CLEAN OUT THAT GARAGE List your items in Desert Messenger CLASSIFIEDS Email Editor@DesertMessenger.com or CALL RAIN @ 928-916-4235

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