EITC: Do you qualify?

Happy Earned Income Tax Credit Day!

The EITC is a very helpful way for low-moderate income working Americans to get extra money on their taxes. EITC is a financial boost for working people in a recovering economy. Unfortunately, not all Americans who qualify take advantage, but it’s getting better — last year four of five eligible people claimed and got their EITC!

The IRS says: You earned it. Now file, claim it and get it. It’s easier than ever to find out whether you qualify.

Low-income consumers can also take advantage of the IRS FreeFile service to avoid the high costs of tax preparation software or the risk of using a fly-by-night tax preparer.

Airline industry disappoints consumers. Again.

$25 for one checked bag? Another $20 to choose your seat? Is it any wonder that the airline industry consistently scores the lowest in consumer satisfaction surveys? Earlier this summer, the American Customer Satisfaction index reported that, out of the 47 industries evaluated, airlines tied newspapers for the lowest-satisfaction rating, and airline satisfaction only continues to spiral downward.

The airline industry’s actions over the past few months will do nothing to improve consumer confidence. When the government failed to reauthorize the FAA in July, several federal taxes were discontinued, which could have meant a 15-percent break on airfare for passengers. Instead of passing the money saved from the tax holiday on to consumers, most airlines actually raised prices–allowing them to collect nearly $70 million a day, almost $500 million in total, before the FAA’s taxing authority was reinstated.

NCL, along with a coalition of consumer interest groups, condemned airline executives in a letter to the CEO of the Air Transport Association for their greed and lack of transparency in ticketing fees.

If airlines continue to exhibit this type of anti-consumer behavior, it’s a fair bet that the industry can expect a permanent spot on the bottom of the consumer satisfaction scale.