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Showing posts from September, 2015

IRS Phone Scam in our Community

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Here at Gardner & Billing, CPAs PLLC, we have been made aware of recent occurrences of an IRS phone scam in the community. Potential victims are being reached on their home or cell phones by a fraudulent IRS agent. The scammer will say that you have an IRS penalty that is due immediately. They will insist that if you do not pay the fine immediately, you will be subject to arrest or a law suit. If you are contacted by the IRS phone scam, write down any information that the fraudulent IRS agent gives you, including phone number, name and IRS badge number to report to the necessary authorities. It should be known that the IRS will never contact you via phone or email. You will only receive mail correspondence from the IRS. According to the IRS website, if you get a phone call from someone claiming to be from the IRS, you should do one or more of the following: Call or go online to report the incident to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 1-800-366-4484 , htt

Tax Scams/Consumer Alerts from the IRS

Be aware of these most recent scams reported by the IRS....  IRS-Impersonation Telephone Scam An aggressive and sophisticated phone scam targeting taxpayers, including recent immigrants, has been making the rounds throughout the country. Callers claim to be employees of the IRS, but are not. These con artists can sound convincing when they call. They use fake names and bogus IRS identification badge numbers. They may know a lot about their targets, and they usually alter the caller ID to make it look like the IRS is calling.  Victims are told they owe money to the IRS and it must be paid promptly through a pre-loaded debit card or wire transfer. If the victim refuses to cooperate, they are then threatened with arrest, lawsuits, deportation or suspension of a business or driver’s license. In many cases, the caller becomes hostile and insulting. Or, victims may be told they have a refund due to try to trick them into sharing private information. If the phone isn&#

Seven Great Accidental Inventions

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1. The Microwave - Percy L. Spencer Percy Spencer, an engineer at Raytheon after his WWI stint in the Navy, was known as an electronics genius. In 1945, Spencer was fiddling with a microwave-emitting magnetron — used in the guts of radar arrays — when he felt a strange sensation in his pants. A sizzling, even. Spencer paused and found that a chocolate bar in his pocket had started to melt. Figuring that the microwave radiation of the magnetron was to blame (or to credit, as it would turn out), Spencer immediately set out to realize the culinary potential at work. The end result was the microwave oven — savior of eager snackers and single dudes worldwide. 2. Saccharin - Ira Remsen, Constantin Fahlberg In 1879, Ira Remsen and Constantin Fahlberg, at work in a laboratory at Johns Hopkins University, paused to eat. Fahlberg had neglected to wash his hands before the meal — which usually leads to a quick death for most chemists, but led to him noticing an oddly sweet flavor during his m

It's in the air....

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Workers' Compensation in Montana (Part III)

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GETTING STARTED To buy workers' compensation insurance, you need to request a quote from a licensed insurance agent and provide some details about your business. Here's what to have in front of you: Number of employees in each class code Total payroll for all employees. You may be able to exclude yourself if you don't wish to be covered under the policy. Federal ID Number If you are a sole proprietor, you can use your Social Security Number Copy of your previous workers' comp insurance policy, if you've had coverage or claims in the past few years. WHERE TO GET IT Montana has a private market, meaning that you can purchase workers' compensation insurance from any private insurance carrier or agency that is licensed to write in that state. Montana also has a state fund that competes with the private market. You can contact Montana State Fund if you are unable to secure coverage from a private insurance carrier. State funds accept higher-risk businesse

Happy Labor Day!

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In honor of the Labor Day holiday, the office of Gardner & Billing CPAs will be closed on Monday, September 7th.   Labor Day: What it Means Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country. Labor Day Legislation Through the years the nation gave increasing emphasis to Labor Day. The first governmental recognition came through municipal ordinances passed during 1885 and 1886. From these, a movement developed to secure state legislation. The first state bill was introduced into the New York legislature, but the first to become law was passed by Oregon on February 21, 1887. During the year four more states — Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York — created the Labor Day holiday by legislative enactment. By