As the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) begins processing tax returns Tuesday, the agency offers a word of caution for those who will seek help from a paid professional. IRS spokesman Mark Hanson says most preparers are knowledgeable and trustworthy, but sometimes taxpayers can be misled by those who don’t understand complex tax situations – or who mislead people into taking credits or deductions they aren’t entitled to, in order to increase their own fee.

“Each year, it’s not uncommon to find stories around the country where a tax preparer has done something that may not necessarily be right,” says Hanson. “You want to make sure you have somebody who represents your best interests, and does so legally.” Hanson says a reliable tax professional will have an IRS Preparer Tax Identification Number. He also advises taxpayers to investigate the individual’s professional credentials, review the return before signing, and make sure any refund is sent directly to you, never to the tax preparer.

Hanson also recommends checking the service fees for a professional tax service upfront. “A tax preparer should not be charging you a fee based upon the amount of refund you’re expected to get,” he says. “This could be a red flag, right up front.” Hanson notes you’re still legally responsible for what’s on your return, even if you don’t prepare it yourself.

“If the IRS questions the accuracy of any information, we’re going to ask you the taxpayer – not necessarily your tax preparer,” says Hanson. “So once you sign that return, you’re telling the IRS, ‘This is a complete and accurate return,’ to the best of your knowledge. Once you sign it, you own it.”

Tuesday is the first day taxpayers can file electronically, and also the first day for IRS processing of paper returns.

(Iowa News Service)

A man from Lenox was arrested Sunday afternoon. The Adams County Sheriff’s Office reports 40-year old Matthew Rayhons was taken into custody at around 4-p.m., on a charge of Public Intoxication. His bond was set at $1,000.

A rookie Republican in Iowa’s congressional delegation has accepted the invitation of the lone Iowa Democrat in congress for tonight’s (Tuesday’s) “State of the Union” address. Republican David Young of Van Meter has agreed to sit next to Democrat Dave Loeback of Iowa City for President Obama’s speech. “I’ll sit with him and we’ll listen to the president,” Young says. But Young says he wants to find out if Obama “understands” what happened during the November 4th election.

“And that was about the American people saying: ‘It’s time to govern. It’s time to come together. It’s time to do the will of the people and the people’s priorities,'” Young says. Rod Blum is Iowa’s other rookie representative in the U.S. House. He’ll also be listening with a critical ear. “I’m all for listening to his ideas and I hope they’re good ideas and I hope they help the economy and I hope they help working families, but I also want them to be constitutional,” Blum says.

Blum, who is from Dubuque, is Iowa’s new first district congressman. Democratic Congressman Dave Loebsack, who represents Iowa’s second congressional district, was part of a movement in 2011 to break up the partisan cheering sections for the president’s State of the Union speech. Republican Congressman Steve King has said just finding a seat on the House floor is a challenge with 435 members of congress, 100 senators, members of the president’s cabinet and U.S. Supreme Court justices all crowding into the area.

Iowa’s rookie Republican Senator — Joni Ernst — has a special spot reserved for her tonight (Tuesday) on network television. Ernst will deliver the Republican response to President Obama’s speech.

(Radio Iowa)