Recent editorials from South Carolina newspapers:
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Feb. 18
The Times and Democrat on tax fraud:
Perhaps you were not aware that the first week in February was Tax Fraud Awareness Week. No problem as every week has some kind of designation. But awareness of the issues surrounding tax fraud is particularly important during this unfolding tax season.
Thousands of people have lost millions of dollars and their personal information to tax scams. Scammers use the regular mail, telephone or email to set up individuals, businesses, payroll and tax professionals.
According to the Federal Trade Commission, tax-related identity theft occurs when someone uses a Social Security number and other personal data to file a bogus tax return and receive the refund.
The IRS warns taxpayers to look for the following signs of identity theft:
- Receiving a letter from the IRS or the S.C. Department of Revenue asking about a tax return you did not file.
- Learning you cannot file a tax return online because of a duplicate Social Security number.
- Receiving an IRS notice that an online account has been created in your name or an existing account has been accessed or disabled.
- Receiving an IRS or SCDOR notice about collection efforts for taxes from a year you did not file a return.
The South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs advises:
- File early. File as early as possible. Identity thieves use consumer information to file tax returns and steal refunds before the individual files.
- Use a legitimate tax preparer. Consumers should make sure their preparer is reputable, licensed and has a Preparer Tax Identification Number from the IRS. Visit www.irs.gov or call 800-906-9887 to see if you qualify for free tax prep services provided by IRS-certified volunteers.
- E-file in safety. When filing online, use anti-virus software and ensure the computer is connected to a secure internet connection. Do not use public Wi-Fi. There are several websites that allow taxpayers to prepare and file their taxes for free, such as the IRS Free File program.
- Watch out for IRS imposter scams. Fraudsters often pose as the IRS to scare and trick you into disclosing personal information or sending them money. The IRS will not call about taxes without sending a notice through the mail first. Report IRS imposter scams to the Treasury Department.
Consumers who believe they are the victim of a security breach, scam or identity theft are encouraged to seek guidance from SCDCA’s Identity Theft Unit. Call 844-TELL DCA (835-5322) or fill out an ID Theft Intake form by visiting www.consumer.sc.gov and clicking on Report Identity Theft.
And be aware that tax scams are not confined to tax season. The IRS warns that after the April filing deadline passes, scam artists remain hard at work with phishing emails and telephone scams.
Online: https://thetandd.com/
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Feb. 17
The Post and Courier on underprivileged children receiving early childhood education:
Poor kids do better in school if they get the same sort of early mental stimulation that wealthier kids get before they start school: people who teach them their colors and numbers and letters, who read to them regularly and teach them how to get along with other children, and with adults.
South Carolina’s First Steps to School Readiness and public and private 4-year-old kindergarten programs are designed to provide that stimulation, and many of them do an excellent job. Where the programs fall short is in making these services available to all the children who need help.
A network of public schools and private child-care centers provides free 4K to about 11,000 of the state’s 36,000 4-year-olds living in poverty. Other local and federal programs serve about 14,000 more children, although some of those programs provide little more than child care. Even if their offerings were more robust, that still would leave 11,000 children unserved.
Worse, 4K enrollment is dropping even as the number of 4-year-olds living in poverty increases. There are many reasons for this - some local schools don’t have the capacity to expand 4K classes, there aren’t any child-care providers in some areas who can meet the program’s requirements - but a big one is that officials aren’t getting the word out to the families who could benefit most from the service.
So it’s exciting to see a new web portal where parents can find out if they qualify for free or reduced-price 4K (or child care), locate one of the 1,200 participating programs nearby and apply for a slot.
Yes, it’s just a website. But about 500 parents had already qualified their children for programs even before palmettoprek.org was officially unveiled this month. And it came about as the result of an all-too-rare collaboration of state agencies with similar missions - in this case, First Steps, the state Education Department and social services agencies, along with the federal Head Start program.
When you combine that spirit of collaboration and the new website with the pledge by Gov. Henry McMaster and legislative leaders to make 4K programs available to poor children in the state’s wealthy school districts, we have the potential for a tremendous increase in the number of poor children who start kindergarten caught up with their better-off peers. And that’s probably the best way we can ensure that we provide a decent education to all S.C. children.
Online: https://www.postandcourier.com/
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Feb. 12
The Index-Journal on a potential bill that would require contractors who mow roadsides to clean up trash before they mow:
On Tuesday, we rolled out a viewpoint in support pending legislation that would make drivers think twice about ambling along in the passing lane of two-lane highways. It seems lawmakers’ own experiences with these drivers drove them to want to do something about it. If it passes, those drivers will have to hit the shoulder of the road when they get pulled over and will be looking at paying fines of between $100 and $200. That should help drive home the point and make these drivers pay more attention to what’s in the rearview mirror.
That said, there’s another bit of legislation that also deals with roads and also seems to have gotten mileage based on lawmakers’ personal experiences.
In this case, some lawmakers want the contractors who mow our roadsides to have to clean up the trash before they mow. It seems Rep. Richie Yow, R-Chesterfield, was tooling down the road when a piece of metal was flung into his window by a mower he was traveling alongside.
While we certainly agree that such an experience would not only be harrowing, but also potentially dangerous, life-threatening even, it seems to be a bit of a knee-jerk reaction on the part of one lawmaker. But it’s not just debris that is prompting the legislation, apparently. Another lawmaker noted that clumps of grass strewn in the roadway during mowing is a tremendous hazard. And he’s correct. Clumps of grass can send motorcyclists into terrible wrecks.
There are a couple of things worth noting here.
One is the tremendous expense that will be incurred if these contractors have to first do litter patrol. They won’t do it voluntarily and some Department of Transportation officials estimate costs will double what the state pays the contractors now, which is roughly $20 million.
South Carolina, in case you haven’t noticed, could be a much more beautiful state if it were not for the jackasses who litter. And we’re talking about more than the occasional bag of trash that falls off a truck, the couch pillow that blows off a trailer, and fast-food wrappers and bags. If we’re not first doing something more punitive about litterers the amount of debris on roads will not lessen. What about auto parts following a wreck? Well, how about it be incumbent upon the towing crew to ensure all debris is cleaned up. Law enforcement is already on scene and can help oversee that.
But if we want and need our state’s roads to be cleared of so much litter, aside from the many volunteers who actually care and risk their lives cleaning up, do we not have a capable force that can be deployed? Yes, we’re referencing inmates and those the courts order to perform community service as punishment.
As to the grass clippings in the roadways, that’s when we can and should look at fining the contractors doing the job. They should be cutting the roadsides in such a way as to ensure the grass is aimed away from the road. And maybe they should even have a crew that comes along behind them to blow the grass to the ditch area.
There’s no denying the problems are real, but new legislation isn’t always the right answer.
Online: https://www.indexjournal.com/
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