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Kokua Line
Question: Auwe. I received in the mail a Hawaii Tax Refund Report, which indicates the wrong year. The amount of refund is correct, but the year is wrong. Was somebody sleeping? Sen. (Rod) Tam should pass a bill to wake up some state workers. Some tax forms
are off by 10 yearsAnswer: A "programming error" was blamed for the wrong date being put on Form 1099G, the Hawaii Tax Refund Report.
The Tax Department is mandated by law to send a notice every year to taxpayers who received a refund the previous year, listing the amount of the refund and the year in which it was given, said spokeswoman Linda Cacpal.
"This year, we discovered a programming error after the notices had been mailed," she said.
People were confused because the refund year noted was off by 10 years, i.e., it said 1988 instead of 1998.
The error was discovered Monday and a decision was made Tuesday to reprint the entire mailing of 230,000 postcards, Cacpal said. The cost for fixing the error: upward of $70,000.
The program has been corrected and steps taken to prevent "this unfortunate situation from recurring," Cacpal said.
Q: Is there an AARP number to call to find out about a driving school?
A: The AARP offers a classroom refresher course available to drivers 50 years of age and older -- called "55 Alive/Mature Driving Course" -- several times a month.
Classes, for example, are scheduled Feb. 7 and 14 at Hawaiian Eye Clinic in Wahiawa; Feb. 8 and 9 at Castle Medical Center; and Feb. 12 and 19 at St. Francis Medical Center.
The cost for two four-hour sessions is $10, said instructor Edward Jurkins.
For the date of the next class closest to you, call AARP at 395-4750 or 1-888-227-7669.
You can also call the following centers, where classes are held regularly, to sign up: Castle Medical Center, 263-5400; Kaiser Honolulu Clinic, 597-2260; Queen's Medical Center, 547-4823; Kapahulu Senior Center, 737-1748; Lanakila Senior Center, 847-1322; Hawaiian Eye Center, 621-3137; St. Francis Medical Center, 547-6410; Sacred Hearts Church, 668-7160; Kuapa Isle Club House, 396-8080; St. Francis Medical Center West, 678-7262.
Q:A few years ago, former state Rep. Ululani Beirne used prison inmates to clear her property in Kahana Valley. She was assessed a penalty, but I heard she did not reimburse the state for use of the prisoners. Is that right?
A: No. Beirne was criticized for asking that state inmates be sent to clear brush on her property and near her house in Kahana Valley State Park in 1993. Several families are allowed to live in the park on revocable state permits.
At the time, she defended her actions, saying she planned to create a canoe halau in the park for the community's benefit.
But she asked the state Ethics Commission for an advisory opinion. In an "informal advisory opinion" issued in 1995, the commission said she violated the state ethics code and should reimburse the state for the work.
Beirne paid the state Department of Public Safety $360.
Mahalo
To Officer Ryan Kalahiki for coming to our aid when our car failed to start at the Stadium Park lot in Moiliili. The weather suddenly turned bad with much wind and rain, but he was helpful, caring and reassuring in getting our car started. He is a credit to our fine police force. -- Two senior citizens
Need help with problems? Call Kokua Line at 525-8686,
fax 525-6711, or write to P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu 96802.
Email to kokualine@starbulletin.com