IRS TO OFFER TAXPAYERS MORE AID

The Internal Revenue Service will offer more help to taxpayers across the nation, in Missouri and at the Cape Girardeau IRS office.

Taxpayers in the Cape Girardeau area will an extra day a week to receive personal help, said Paul Kipper, manager of the local IRS office at 137 S. Broadview.

The local office will be open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Friday throughout the tax season. In previous years, the office was open two days a week.

"We're already seeing a lot of people," said Kipper.

The local office is looking forward to another tax season.

"We look forward to the season more than people think," said Kipper. "We feel we're actually helping people. This time of year is our big opportunity to really get out to help, and we will do whatever is necessary to get their problems taken care of."

Taxpayers may pick up tax forms five days a week at the local office.

Another helping hand will come from the Southeast Missouri Area Agency on Aging, which will provide help for senior citizens.

The aging agency, in conjunction with the Missouri Department of Revenue, is seeking volunteers to train for its "Circuit Breaker" program, which assists low-income older people with their taxes and offers a rebate for property tax or rent paid for eligible people.

"We'll be providing a training workshop for volunteers," said Ruth Dockings, of the aging agency.

The training workshop will be held Tuesday, at Cape LaCroix Untied Methodist Church, 3102 Lexington, and Jan. 15 in Poplar Bluff.

People interested in attending the workshops should contact the agency at 573-335-3331.

Starting late this month, volunteers will be at various sites, including senior citizen centers, to help seniors.

The volunteers provide free assistance to taxpayers who cannot afford professional tax help, particularly those who file basic tax returns. Volunteers assist those with special needs, including people with disabilities, non-English speaking people and older taxpayers.

Meanwhile, new "round-the-clock" telephone help lines and Saturday office hours are among new tax filing services announced this week.

The IRS started operating its taxpayer help lines (1-800-829-1040) 24 hours a day Monday and will continue seven days a week. In the past, those lines were staffed 16 hours a day, six days a week.

"We don't anticipate any Saturday hours at Cape Girardeau," said Kipper, "but offices in metropolitan areas -- including St. Louis and Kansas City -- will be open Saturday until April 10."

IRS offices at 250 sites nationwide will be open on 13 Saturdays. Last year, such "help sessions" were held only on the last few Saturdays at a few places before the tax-filing deadline.

The tax filing season ends April 15. During this year's filing season, the IRS office will never close, said IRS Commissioner Charles Rossotti. "We want to provide good service for taxpayers."

For people with computer access to the Internet, the IRS site on the World Wide Web (www.irs.ustreas.gov) features tax forms, changes in tax law, publications, tax tables, answers to frequently asked questions and links to other tax-related sites.