Ferderal jobs

Costs of over regulation and over disclosure end up hurting the very consumer that the regulatory bodies are trying to protect. Over disclosure and over regulation is in itself the worst evil of civilization, as it stifles free enterprise, innovation and free markets. In franchising the disclosure documents have in fact grown to over 200 plus pages in length on average. You should be happy you are not a tree in the forest right now.

If franchise buyers (consumers) are damaged in the market place due to burdensome over disclosure and costs being passed onto them at the time of sale or thru less assistance down the road during the franchise relationship, then no one is well served and the increased rules have hurt the consumer. The new name for the Federal Trade Commission’s franchise rule department will be “Forget the Consumer” or MUD. MUD might be more apropos as there is a perfect acronym “Much Unnecessary Disclosure,” which would be quite fitting for their most recent rule making exercise.

The MUD along with the lack of real tort reform is killing this country and destroying all we are and all we have built like the debris left on flooded lands by Hurricanes Charley or Muddy banks of the Chesapeake and Potomac overflowing from Hurricane Isabel in DC. It often takes years for franchisors to get all full power back up to speed to the clean-up after an action by the Federal Trade Commission, whether against their company or a simple opinion effecting the franchising industry.

The regulatory bodies in their haste to enforce disclosure laws have hurt the very consumer they purport to be protecting; they just don’t get it; do you? Think about it.

Lance Winslow

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The Internal Revenue Service has released the new inflation and cost-of-living adjustments for tax year 2006. Here are some of what is new for 2006:

* The personal exemption amount is $3,300.00.

* The deduction for personal exemptions is phased-out as your Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) goes from-

+ $150,500 to $273,100 if Single

+ $188,150 to $310,650 if Head of Household

+ $225,750 to $348,250 if Married Filing Joint or Qualifying Widow(er)

+ $112,875 to $174,125 if Married Filing Separate

* The standard deduction amounts are-

+ $ 5,150 for Single

+ $ 7,550 for Head of Household

+ $10,300 for Married Filing Joint or Qualifying Widow(er)

+ $ 5,150 for Married Filing Separate

* The additional standard deduction for age 65 and older or blind is $1,250 for Single and Head of Household and $1,000 for Married (Joint or Separate) and Qualifying Widow(er).

* The standard deduction for a dependent is the greater of $850 or the dependent’s earned income (i.e. W-2) plus $300, not to exceed $5,150 (plus $1,250 if age 65 or blind).

* Itemized deductions are reduced if your AGI exceeds $150,500, or $75,250 if Married Filing Separate.

* The earnings base for Social Security withholding on wages and the Social Security portion of the Self-Employment Tax is $94,200. The maximum amount of Social Security Tax that can be withheld from wages is $5,840.40. The maximum Social Security portion of the Self-Employment Tax is $11,680.80.

* The monthly Medicare Part B premium that is deducted from Social Security and Railroad Retirement benefits is $88.50.

* The annual contribution limits for retirement plans are-

+ $15,000 - plus an additional $5,000 if age 50 or older at the end of 2006 - for 401(k), 403(b) and 457 plans

+ $10,000 - plus an additional $2,500 if age 50 or older at
the end of 2006 - for SIMPLE plans

+ $4,000 - plus an additional $1,000 if age 50 or older at
the end of 2006 - for IRA plans

+ $44,000 for Defined Contribution KEOGH and Self-Employed
SEP plans

* The HOPE education credit is 100% of the first $1,100 of qualified tuition and fees and 50% of the next $1,100, for a maximum of $1,650.

* The maximum Section 179 deduction for expensing of business equipment purchases is $108,000. The dollar-for-dollar phase-out of Section 179 expensing begins when total equipment purchases for the year exceed $430,000.

* Employees can elect to contribute “after-tax” dollars to new ROTH 401(k) and 403(b) plans as an alternative to the traditional “pre-tax” plans, provided the plan is offered by the employer. Like the ROTH IRA, qualified distributions from employer-sponsored ROTH plans will be totally tax-free.

The 2006 standard mileage allowance rates for business, medical and moving travel have not yet been announced. Because of the recent up-and-down fluctuations in gas prices, the IRS will wail until closer to January 2006 to determine the new mileage rates.

Additional tax information for 2006, as well as the 2006 tax rate schedules, is available on the WHAT’S NEW FOR 2006 Page of my website at www.robertdflach.net.

copyright (c) 2005 by Robert D Flach LLC

Robert D Flach is a tax professional with 34 tax seasons of experience preparing 1040s for individuals in all walks of life. He writes THE WANDERING TAX PRO weblog (http://rdftaxpro.tripod.com/weblog) and the free monthly online newsletter STUFF AND SUCH (http://rdftaxpro.tripod.com.weblog). He also writes and publishes THE FLACH REPORT, a quarterly print tax newsletter.

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If you’re a nursing student who is going out of your mind to find money to pay for your studies, nursing school grants would be your best choice. It is a financial assistance given by organizations or agencies to support all kinds of schools and studies.

Q. How do you apply for nursing school grants?

A. The most recognized nursing school grants program is from the U.S. Government. It is called Federal Student Aid or FAFSA. Money awards or grants could be given to any qualifying student and does not need to be paid back.

1. Usage of grants

These grants could be used for long-term nursing training or for the entire four or five years of your college. Many of these nursing grants are used in the cost of the study or program. They could be used in thesis of nursing students and other medical studies.

2. Planning

By planning to acquire nursing school grants, you are ahead on everyone else. Request for a submission form and check for the deadline of the application process. Remember to complete the form with valid information. Double-check your work. Get hold of the procedures in applying for nursing school grants and follow it correctly. You should send your application sooner than the date of the deadline. By preparing earlier, you would prevent missing the deadline and qualifying for the nursing school grants. It would cause you to apply for it on the following year.

3. Eligibility

The grants would be given to any individual (attending private or public schools. or any educational organizations (whether private or public offices. that has been qualified to receive the grants. The main key to qualifying is to prove the nurse’s capability on safety and health training (whether college level or professional level). The nursing school grants could be also based on the financial need of the student, the ranking of the grades, and special talents. The agency would be the one to pass the criteria for the applicants.

4. What Amount Should You Aim For?

The amount of the grants would depend on the criteria passed by the nursing student. Although there are only 208 grants provided a year, the nursing student applying for grants should be able to meet the requirements. When successfully passed, the nursing student would be given sufficient additional training for nursing practices or researches and updated techniques.

5. Procedure

The highest scoring nursing student would be given priority. Although it would still be processed by the FAFSA, once permitted the grant would be given to you. Usually, the awards are divided into two - initial and final grants.

6. Guidelines

- Make sure to get hold of a written policy that a refund will be given if your grant is not approved

- Never give your information in particularly with credit card numbers

- Don’t believe when an agency says that they would do all the processing for you. You should be the one to sign when your signature is needed

- Never give money to agencies that claim you owe them interest in the handling of the processing. These nursing school grants should not cost you anything

- If you are not approved, don’t give up. There is always next year to apply

For more great nursing grants related articles and resources check out http://www.nursing-school-hq.com

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