December 2004

UCC CHALLENGE PROCESS UPDATE

Great news for the PBA.  The PBA�s first challenge to a municipal ordinance seeking to exceed the UCC has been upheld by the Secretary of the Department of Labor and Industry.  West Hanover Township sought three changes to the Uniform Construction Code.  The PBA challenged the provisions on the basis that they did not meet the legislative requirements needed to exceed the UCC.  The Department�s ruling agreed with the PBA�s position.  For more information, contact Doug Meshaw at 800-692-7339 ext 3007.  You also can email him at [email protected]. 

CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

FEDERAL TAX CURRICULUM

The Internal Revenue Service has announced the availability of the Construction Industry Federal Tax Curriculum.  This tool provides detailed information on a variety of issues.  Topics in the construction curriculum include:

  • Proper reporting of income

  • business deductions

  • record keeping

  • worker classification

  • employment tax

  • accounting methods

  • E-submissions

For more information on the Construction Industry Federal Tax Curriculum, visit the IRS website at www.irs.gov

 

COMPUTER TIP

When working with digital images what file type is best.

.jpg  - best format in general for images that will be e-mailed, web-            published, or printed

.tif  - a large file; best quality for images saved repeatedly and/or                printed - not recommended for e-mailing or web-publishing.

.bmp  - good for computer-made drawings and simple clip-art images

.gif  - good for clip-art images, logos, and images with few colors

 

MEETING TIPS

Create an agenda that works - The starting point of any meeting is the agenda.  A lousy agenda leads to a lousy meeting.  To craft an effective meeting agenda, follow these steps:

  •  Start and end with items that are brief, easy to handle and have a positive impact.
  • Tie the agenda together with a central purpose, motto or message. Example: Title the meeting "cost-slashing session," so attendees will come prepared with budget-cutting ideas.
  • Balance �plain vanilla� subjects with topics that are more controversial. Also, discuss those contentious items near the beginning of a meeting, when energy levels tend to be higher and attention spans are longer.
  • Phrase agenda items positively, emphasizing opportunities. Example: Rather than saying "Discuss recent spat of bad publicity," say " Brainstorm ways to help us become known as a highly respected corporate citizen." 
    Source: Communications Briefings, Briefings Publishing Group, Alexandria, VA

 

 

SAVINGS FOR SMALL BUSINESSES

The Internal Revenue Service recently announced it will expand the number of small businesses eligible to file a simplified expense form.  The IRS will double the business expense threshold to $5,000 for filing the Form 1040, Schedule C-EZ.  The change will mean a savings of five million hours of paperwork for small business taxpayers.  The threshold change means approximately 500,000 more small businesses - a 15 percent - increase - will be able to file the Schedule C-EZ.  The Form 1040, Schedule C-EZ was intended to make it easier for small businesses with modest expenses to file a simplified form.  Small business owners who file a Form 1040 use the Schedule C to report profits and expenses.  For more information, visit the IRS website at ww.irs.gov .

 

 

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