(Radio Iowa) – The deadline to file your federal tax returns is under a month away now, and a certified public accountant in central Iowa is urging people to get their shoeboxes full of receipts together, pronto. Jeff Strawhacker, a C-P-A in Urbandale, says the majority of his clients are very aware of the looming deadline but there are always a few procrastinators who will end up having to file for an extension. “There’s a combination of both,” Strawhacker says. “Most people are very good about getting us the materials we need. Obviously, a lot of people are waiting either for 1099s from brokerage firms, maybe K-1s from partnerships and S Corporations, so those kind of get pushed to the end, but that’s just part of the normal process.”

The I-R-S touts electronic filing as the most accurate method to use, in addition to e-filing bringing a faster refund check. While there were delays during the pandemic, Strawhacker says refunds are back on track this year. “Usually those refunds are coming out within about a two- to three-week period,” Strawhacker says. “The things that make that go faster is, make sure things are accurate on the return, that things aren’t missing, proper lines are filled in. If they want direct deposit, that information is put in there, because if you’re doing direct deposit, it’s speeding up the refunds. You want a paper check? It may take a few more weeks to get that paper check.”

Strawhacker says there were a few minor changes on the federal side that folks will want to note, and big shifts are likely on the state side next year. “There’s been some changes to the Child Tax Credit rules and Dependent Care rules. Those had some expanded provisions back in ’21 due to the pandemic. Those were not extended, so that could impact some people,” Strawhacker says. “And in Iowa, Iowa has not gone through a lot of changes for the ’22 returns, but 2023 is a whole different story, because they’re going through some massive tax reform.”

While practically everyone likes to get a big, fat refund check, Strawhacker says it’s his goal to get his clients’ withholdings adjusted so they’re close to breaking even every year. “If you’re getting a refund, that’s simply dollars that you have paid into the tax system during the year, either through payroll tax withholdings or estimated payments, but that’s your money that you’ve paid in, and you’ve just paid in more than you need to,” Strawhacker says. “So all they’re doing really at the end of the year is giving you back the excess funds, so think about it as an interest-free loan to the government.”

The deadline for filing federal taxes is April 18th this year, while state tax returns are due May 1st.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Association of Business and Industry quarterly survey finds most of its members plan to make capital investments in the second quarter of the 2023. Mike Ralston is the president of the association which represents 15-hundred Iowa manufacturers. “You know, that’s a big deal. That’s a multi-million dollar piece of equipment. It’s a plant expansion. It’s something big it’s out of the ordinary. And boy business people wouldn’t do that if they didn’t feel pretty confident about the way things were heading,” Ralston says.

Ralston says the survey shows his members are still experiencing higher prices, longer waits and sometimes struggle to get needed parts or equipment. “Before the pandemic, somebody got their particular component it took them 30 days. Then after the pandemic, literally it took like maybe a couple of years,” he says “It’s still high, but that’s a lot better than two years.” Other questions in the survey show 50 percent of businesses expect sales to increase, and 70 percent foresee their workforce remaining stable.

(Radio Iowa) – More Iowa high school and middle school students are enrolling in educational programs offering courses directly related to employment in current or emerging occupations. Dennis Harden oversees the career and technical education area for the Department of Education, and says the number of courses increased seven-point-six percent in 2022 from the previous year. School districts are required to offer at least 12 units of coursework within four of the six C-T-E service areas.

Harden says all school districts experienced growth in courses with a statewide average of two courses being offered and the participation rate of students in 2022 was 73-point-one percent. He says the largest C-T-E service area with 90 programs is applied science, technology, engineering and manufacturing, followed by health science and information solutions, human services, business, and finally agriculture.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Police in Red Oak arrested a woman and a man on separate charges, Thursday. Authorities say 40-year-old Mandy Marie Knapp, of Red Oak, was arrested at around 8:15-p.m. in the 1500 block of N. Broadway Street. Knapp was taken into custody on Adams County warrants for Trespass/1st offense, Open Container as a driver (21+) and Felony Burglary in the 3rd Degree. She was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $300 bond.

And , at around 5:25-p.m., Thursday, Red Oak Police arrested 24-year-old Austin Alexander Thompson, of Red Oak, for Possession of a Controlled Substance/Marijuana – 1st offense, and Poss. of Drug Paraphernalia. He was being held on a $1,000 bond.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks says congress cannot let TikTok stockpile sensitive information and spy on Americans. Miller-Meeks and other members of the House Commerce Committee quizzed TikTok’s C-E-O for more than five hours yesterday (Thursday).

“Certainly, as you can see, in a bipartisan way we have concerns,” Miller-Meeks told TikTok’s CEO, “and those concerns are valid.” The app, which has 150 American users, is owned by a Chinese company and the Biden Administration is demanding that the Chinese sell their stake in the company — or the app will be banned in the U.S. Miller noted the hearing began hours after China announced its opposition to the sale of TikTok.

“Why would China or the Chinese Communist Party be opposed to a forced sale of TikTok?” Miller-Meeks asked. “…That leads people to believe that there’s something more nefarious and that there is, in fact, data that is captured, is stored and poses a risk not only to children in the United States, but also poses a risk to national security.” Miller-Meeks, a Republican who represents Iowa’s first congressional district, says she believes TikTok is gathering personal data from Americans and sharing it with our adversaries.

Republican Ashley Hinson, Iowa’s second district congresswoman, says TikTok needs to be banned.  “I believe the time to act was yesterday here,” Hinson says. Hinson says the U.S. Treasury Department has been negotiating with TikTok’s owners for three years — since the Trump Administration — and cutting ties with China and it’s time to ban what Hinson calls a Trojan horse app. Hinson made her comments during a House Appropriations Committee hearing on Thursday.