Tax income losses from foreclosed homes affect Californians in unexpected ways ? ForeclosureConnections

Thirty thousand Californian homes are moving through the foreclosure pipeline.

Property taxes plummet in the process.

City officials and schools are the latest victims of the blight.

Beyond the shame of tens of thousands of foreclosed, abandoned, shuttered homes in East Bay, and elsewhere in the State of California, lies a second blight – year upon year of property tax income that is supposed to be funding the cities, schools and other infrastructure on which Californians depend is vanishing in the shifting sands of economic drought.
For individuals, the end of the beginning of the foreclosure road is when the sheriff put them on the street – the work of government officials begins then, as they make difficult budget cuts, lay off staff and otherwise bite the bullet until the foreclosed properties are back in private hands again. Some of them may find themselves personally affected by the cuts they have to recommend.
In the East Bay area alone, banks and other lenders own over 10,000 foreclosed homes, with just a pittance up for sale in these price-depressing times – and a further 20,000 in the pipeline heading the same way.
“There is no question government services at all levels are going to suffer because of this,” said Contra Costa County Assessor Gus Kramer. “It’s just one of the trappings of the economy we’re in.”
You can almost feel the pain. Concord City has put off a quarter of its workforce. Antioch has shelved a quarter of its annual budget. Hayward has levied further taxes to avert redundancies. The effect will be more dispersed in schools – they depend on a combination of state income sources, and this will take a while to filter through.
A representative of the California Department of Finance admits that they failed to account for the foreclosure trend when they prepared their current budget, because nobody thought about it at the time. Current thinking is that State property taxes will fall 4.1% in the current period, and another 3.1% in the following year, both up on previous estimates. The biggest driver is the fall in property prices. This April the median buyer in Bay Area paid just 0,000 compared to the 2007 peak when 5,000 was the number that applied. Elsewhere, in areas like East Contra Costa County the drop is worse and approaching 65% in some places.
Many analysts are predicting a fresh tsunami as interest rates start rising. The situation a year ago could be repeated, affecting both economy and housing market, and stretching recovery further out. Most cities will be affected to some extent meaning that the losses will be spread throughout California.

5 Good Reasons to File an Income Tax Extension

With not much time remaining until the April 15 IRS income tax deadline, many Americans are scrambling to finalize their income tax returns. This year, a growing percentage of taxpayers will choose to file an IRS income tax extension, which will postpone their tax deadline to October 15.

If you’re considering filing an income tax extension, you’re not alone. The IRS recently estimated that 10.2 million of the 140 million tax filers will file for a tax extension this year. What’s more, approximately 2 million of those extensions will be electronically filed online.

File Later tax extension service – a popular website where taxpayers can file their income tax extension – compiled the following list of reasons why taxpayers should consider joining the growing trend of taxpayers filing a tax ex tension rather than stress about getting their returns completed by April 15.

Although the IRS doesn’t care (or ask) why millions of taxpaying Americans file for extensions every year, you may find these valuable:

1. Accountants and tax professionals are much busier in April than they are in October. Getting the proper amount of time with an accountant gets harder and harder the longer you wait leading up to April 15. Extending your income tax deadline to October 15 will give your accountant or tax pro that extra time to focus on your tax return, which may mean extra tax savings in your pocket.

2. Filing an income tax extension may reduce your chance of audit. IRS auditors have quotas they need to meet every year on the number of returns audited. Returns are sorted for auditors by filing date, and most auditors will have met their quotas before they get to extended returns.

3. Getting paperwork together to complete your taxes isn’t easy. Organizing that shoebox of W2s, 1099s, mortgage interest statements, and receipts can take longer than you expect. Giving yourself the extra time needed will ensure you’re taxes are done right, and extending will give you extra time to track down any additional deductions so you’re getting the biggest tax return possible.

4. For business owners, funding retirement plans such as Simplified Employee Pensions (SEPs) or SIMPLE IRA’s can be expensive. Filing for an income tax extension will also extend your deadline to fund these types of retirement plans.

5. It’s easy. Your income tax extension can be filed in less than 10 minutes using an online provider like File Later. The process is completely paper-free, and your extension will be e-filed, meaning you’ll get an email confirming the IRS has approved your extension, and you’ll have 6 more months to finalize your tax return.

And remember, even though you may be interested in the reasons to extend your income tax return, the IRS doesn’t care or ask. As long as your application is filed correctly, your extension will be granted by the IRS and your new tax deadline will be October 15.

Is it patriotic to pay taxes? And if so, who the most patriotest Americans? Who are the least? How many words are in the tax code? How much do patriotic Americans pay to prepare their taxes? How long do you have to work in a year to earn enough to pay your taxes? The answers to these and other questions add up to one big W-2 WTF. Produced by Meredith Bragg. Written by Bragg and Nick Gillespie.
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