Newspaper Page Text
Some Forsyth residents may
qualify for IRS tax credit
ATLANTA The Earned
Income Tax Credit can result in
more money for working fami
lies in Forsyth County.
Unfortunately, many people are
not aware that they qualify for
this additional cash.
The Internal Revenue
Service urges working taxpay
ers with low incomes to review
their eligibility for the Earned
Income Tax Credit. The EITC
could result in a sizable refund
for Georgia's working parents
w ith children.
In 2003. 2.562 Forsyth tax
payers benefited from the
EITC. More than 760.000
Georgians benefited fro'm the
EITC in 2003.
The amount of EITC credits
for Forsyth County taxpayers
totaled $4,100,000. or an aver
age of $ 1.616 per family.
There are many taxpayers
who could have received this
help, but did not claim the
EITC on their returns.
Approximately 605 Forsyth
taxpayers eligible for EITC did
not claim the credit in 2003.
"We want people to know if
they qualify for the EITC. so
eligible taxpayers can benefit
from the credit." says IRS
Spokesperson Eric Erickson.
“Because eligibility rules can
be complicated, we want peo
ple to carefully review the qual-
Turkey hunting season right around comer for Georgia
From Staff Reports
The statewide turkey hunt
ing season opens later this
month, giving hunters a
chance to harvest this magnifi
cent bird.
The season opens on
Saturday. March 20. and runs
through Saturday. May 15.
according to the Georgia
Department of Natural
Resources. Wildlife Resources
Division (WRD). Last year,
approximately 42.300 turkey
hunters harvested over 27.500
turkeys.
"Turkey hunting continues
to grow in popularity and
Hunters should use caution in
the wild, state officials urge
From Staff Reports
Turkey hunting is not only
about knowing how to use a
box call or how to be patient
while waiting on the perfect
shot opportunity it also is
about knowing that there are
several safety precautions that
are unique to this hunting
experience.
The Georgia Department of
Natural Resources, Wildlife
Resources Division (WRD)
encourages hunters to review
turkey hunting season safety
tips before the season opens on
Saturday, March 20.
Hunters are encouraged to
review the following turkey
hunting season safety precau
tions:
• Never wear red. white,
blue or black clothing when
turkey hunting. Red is the
color mest hunters look for to
distinguish a gobbler’s head
from a hen’s blue-colored
head. Male turkey feathers and
the top of a male’s head are
black and white. Camouflage
should be used to cover every
thing, including the hunter’s
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itications. We urge people who
are in doubt to contact the IRS,
one of its volunteer partners or
a reputable tax professional."
The IRS receives the major
ity of EITC claims in February.
6*
We want people to
know if they qualify
for the EITC, so eligi
ble taxpayers can
benefit from the
credit
99
usually
after work
ers receive
their Forms
W-2. EITC
recipients
may also
qualify for
free tax
preparation
and e-filing
through
Free File,
which is located on IRS.-gov.
For the 2003 tax year,
income limits have increased.
Taxpayers must earn less than
$33,692 if they have two or
more qualifying children.
$29,666 with one qualifying
child or $11.230 if there are no
children. Income limits are
SI,OOO higher if a couple’s fil
ing status is married filing
jointly.
The maximum refundable
credit for the 2(X)3 tax year is
$4,204 for a family with two or
more qualifying children.
$2,547 for a family with one
qualifying child and $382 if
there are no qualifying chil
,dren.
2004 should be another excel
lent season. Georgia offers
some of the best turkey hunt
ing in the nation and over 80
percent of Georgia’s turkey
hunters rated their season as
good or excellent last year."
says WRD Wild Turkey
Project Coordinator Haven
Barnhill.
"Statewide turkey produc
tion was good in 2002. which
means hunters should have an
abundance of two-year-old
birds to pursue which is the
age most birds are harvested.
However, poult production
last year was poor, so hunters
face, hands and firearm.
• Select a calling position,
such as the base of a tree that
provides at least a shoulder
width background. Make sure
at least a 180-degree range can
be seen.
• Do not stalk a gobbling
turkey he has keen eyesight
and hearing and the chances of
getting close are slim, howev
er. a moving hunter following
a gobbling turkey has an
increased chance of being mis
taken for game.
• Be careful using a turkey
call. The sound and motion
may attract other hunters. Do
not move, wave or make
turkey-like sounds to alert
another hunter to your pres
ence. Yell in a loud voice so
that the other hunter knows
you are in the area.
• Be careful when carry ing
a harvested turkey from the
woods. Do not allow the wings
to hang loosely or the head to
be displayed in such away that
another hunter may think it is a
live bird. If possible, conceal
the turkey in a blaze orange
Many taxpayers qualify for
less than the maximum,
depending on their income.
The IRS also reminded mil
itary families that many of
them may also qualify for
EITC because sup
plemental pay
ments and combat
pay are exempt
from the income
calculations.
There are more
than 1(X) volunteer
sites around Geor
gia where taxpay
ers can receive tax
help and have
questions answered
about EITC eligibility.
EITC eligibility rules can
also be found in Fact Sheet
2004-8, in Publication 596 and
through links at 1040 Central
on IRS.gov.
For tax preparers, there is a
new EITC information kit at
www.irs-eitc.info/preparer and
a new EITC tool kit in
Publication 3107E.
The EITC was enacted in
1975 to offset federal taxes paid
by low-income wage earners
and to serve as a work incen
tive.
Last year, more than 20 mil
lion taxpayers nationwide col
lected more than $36 billion in
EITC payments.
may see fewer 1-year-old
birds."
Georgia has one of the
longest turkey seasons in the
United States. Hunters only
may harvest male turkeys and
there is a bag limit of three
gobblers per season. Hunters
choosing to pursue wild
turkeys on private land always
should obtain permission from
the landowner before hunting.
Hunters must have a valid
hunting license and big game
license to legally hunt wild
turkeys.
If hunting on a wildlife
management area (WMA), a
garment or other material.
• Hunters always should
wear blaze orange when mov
ing to and from their vehicle
and hunting site. Also, any
time a hunter is moving
between hunting sites they
should have blaze orange on
their upper bodies to lessen
the chances of being mistaken
for game.
Wild turkey hunters must
possess a valid hunting license
and a big game license to
legally hunt turkeys in
Georgia. If hunting on a
wildlife management area
(WMA), hunters also should
possess a WMA license.
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WMA license also is required.
Hunters are reminded that
2003-2004 licenses expire on
March 31. 2004. and should
ensure their licenses are cur
rent. Wild turkeys legally can
be hunted with shotguns
loaded with No. 2 or smaller
shot, any muzzleloading rifle,
longbow, crossbow or com
pound bow.
The comeback of the w ild
turkey is one of the great
Georgia conservation success
stories.
Statewide, these birds now
number approximately
350.000; but as recently as
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FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS Thur»d«y, March 11,2004 -1
1973. the wild turkey popula
tion was as low as 17,000.
Intensive restoration efforts
funded by hunters, such as the
re-stocking of wild birds and
increased emphasis on biolog
ically sound hunting seasons,
have helped re-establish
turkeys in suitable habitat in
every county. This resurgence
is due to the efforts of private
landowners, hunters and con
servation organizations like
the National Wild Turkey
Federation.
The Georgia Chapter of the
National Wild Turkey
Federation (NWTF). in part-
nership with WRD, has
approved more than $2 mil
lion since 1987, and over
S42O.(XX) during the past year,
on projects that benefit wild
turkey and other wildlife.
There are more than 95 state
chapters of the NWTF and
membership totals more than
15,000.
For more information on
turkey hunting in Georgia,
visit the WRD website at
www.gohuntgeorgia.com,
contact a WRD Game
Management Office or call the
Hunter Services Office at
(770)761-3044.
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