ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, March 22, 1996 TAG: 9603220064
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B8 EDITION: METRO
WASHINGTON - A bill letting taxpayers sue the IRS for up to $1 million for reckless collections was approved unanimously Thursday by the House Ways and Means Committee.
The new ceiling is 10 times the current $100,000. The bill also would extend from 10 to 21 days the amount of time a taxpayer is allowed to make delinquent payments without being subjected to an interest penalty. And it raises from $75 to $110 the hourly rate of attorney fees that can be reimbursed when the taxpayer wins.
An amendment by Rep. Nancy Johnson, R-Conn., would let taxpayers use private delivery services, as well as the U.S. Postal Service, to deliver tax returns and other documents to the IRS.
Committee Chairman Bill Archer said the bill ``provides an even and fair balance between the legitimate needs of the government to enforce the tax laws and the taxpayers' right to fairness, privacy and liberty.''
The measure has bipartisan support and the IRS has endorsed most of its provisions. -Associated Press Hooker Furniture buys N.C. company
Hooker Furniture Corp. of Martinsville said Thursday it has bought CM Furniture Inc. of Maiden, N.C., a subsidiary of Carolina Mills Inc. Terms of the deal, expected to close by early April, were not released.
CM makes occasional tables and upholstered furniture at its 220,000-square-foot Catawba County plant. Hooker plans to continue to produce several tables from the current CM product line and will begin to manufacture Hooker case goods there in the next few months. Initial employment will be about 150, to reach 250 by December.
Hooker employs 1,650 at plants in Roanoke and Martinsville, and Kernersville and Pleasant Garden, N.C. Its 1995 sales were $144 million. -Staff report
Briefly ...
Skyshots Helicopters Inc. has opened at 41-B West Main St. in Salem, offering photography and video flight services, aerial surveys, coverage of special events and sightseeing.
Emmons Translating and Consulting of Stanley has expanded its service area from the Shenandoah Valley to all of Virginia. Fred Emmons, a former Spanish teacher with the Page County schools, said he serves individuals, government agencies and businesses with Hispanic clients and employees. The company's word-processing services include document preparation in Spanish, English and French.
Bedford Bancshares Inc., holding company of Bedford Federal Savings Bank, on Thursday declared a quarterly cash dividend of nine cents per share of its common stock, payable May 2 to shareholders on April 10.
The Sunstone Corp., a new corporation headed by Bob Patel, operator of the Sunset Inn and Holiday Lodge hotels in Roanoke, will build a BudgeTel Inn on Sheraton Drive in Salem. The 68-room, three-story hotel and swimming pool, scheduled to open in August, will cater to business travelers and others on a moderate budget, Patel said. Construction is to begin as soon as weather allows.
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