Don't forget!

It's time for the last-minute tax scramble that strikes all across America April 15. Tonight at midnight marks the final deadline for filing taxes for the 2003 fiscal year. \nTo accommodate the unusually heavy volume of mail expected, some Bloomington post offices will be pushing back their final mail collection times to meet the demands of last-minute filers. As has been the case in past years, the post office anticipates a much higher quantity of mail today and tomorrow than on typical days.\n"We expect to run about 25 to 30 percent higher today than on a normal mail-collection day," said Bloomington postmaster Larry Jacobs.\nNormally, the final mail-collection time in Bloomington is 5 p.m., but certain stations have pushed that time back to give citizens one more chance to get their taxes in on time.\n"The last collection at Woodbridge Station is at 5:45 p.m., and mail must be deposited by that time to be postmarked on time. The deadline at the main post office downtown is 6 p.m.," Jacobs said. "However, people can deposit mail outside of the collection facility at 4738 West Vernal Pike until midnight, and it will still be postmarked on time."\nFor those who do not make it to the post office on time, there are a number of different penalties the government may hand down. \nGary Fagg, president of Lauer & Company PC, said the penalties for late filing depend on whether the person has filed an extension.\n"If you do not file an extension, there are penalties associated with late filing, based upon if you owe anything on that return," Fagg said. "If an extension is put into place, you won't have the late filing penalty, but there could be a late payment penalty."\nFagg said although tax day is a busy one for his company, it is not the most hectic of the year.\n"The way our system works is we already know who will be filed. We have very few people that walk in here the day of," Fagg said. "So this is probably not the busiest day of the year for us because we try to plan for it. Our busiest days have really been those leading up to today."\nJen Maddox, a senior at IU, had her dad's help in filing her taxes and said it wasn't too complicated. Maddox already mailed her taxes. \n"My dad did most of it, but it didn't seem too difficult," Maddox said. "The form was pretty straightforward, and I feel comfortable enough to do it on my own the next time I file. And I got a pretty decent refund too, so I'd say it went pretty well." \n-- Contact staff writer Sarah Schwimmer at sschwimm@indiana.edu.