14 The Courier sun • MARCH 21, 2013 for breaking news visit www.couriersun.com Housing market: QUEENS STILL HURTING BY CRISTABELLE TUMOLA [email protected] Foreclosure stats show a recovering housing market, but national improvements are stronger than Queens figures. According to the February 2013 U.S. Foreclosure Market Report from RealtyTrac, a leading online marketplace for real estate data, U.S. bank repossessions have dropped 25 percent from last year, the lowest level since September 2007. Numbers in Queens, however, were up compared to February 2012. Since the recession began, bank repossessions in the borough reached their highest peak in October 2008 at 320. Those numbers significantly dropped over the last few years, but went up from 14 in February 2012 to 24 a year later. Foreclosure filings increased even more during that same period from 44 to 345. The jump can be mainly attributed to the sharp increase in default notices. After monthly numbers in the hundreds and thousands since the beginning of 2007, there were only seven default notices in February 2012. Since May of that year, numbers went back into the hundreds, with 297 in Queens County last month. Hide & cigarettes Bloomberg ‘Tobacco Product Display’ bill gets mixed reaction BY CRISTABELLE TUMOLA [email protected] A week after a judge struck down his sugary drink ban, Mayor Michael Bloomberg is going on another health crusade — this time targeting cigarettes. The mayor, who spearheaded banning smoking in bars, restaurants, beaches and parks, is proposing a bill that would require New York City retailers to keep tobacco products out of sight except during purchases or restocking, Bloomberg announced on Monday, March 18. But not everyone is happy with the mayor’s latest health initiative. “Bloomberg killed business since he came into office. It’s going to hurt sales even more because customers won’t be able to see the different brands,” said Raj Sawlani, an employee at Bayside Smoke Shop Fine Cigars. Sawlani said the store, which has been around for 30 years, has had a 90 percent drop in sales since Bloomberg came into office. “He keeps adding taxes,” he said. The mayor and other supporters of the law believe that like high cigarette prices, hiding tobacco products at stores will deter smokers, specifically younger ones. “New York City has dramatically lowered our smoking rate, but even one new smoker is one too many – especially when it’s a young person,” said Bloomberg. “Young people are targets of marketing and the availability of cigarettes and this legislation will help prevent another generation from the ill health and shorter life expectancy that comes with smoking.” According to Health Commissioner Thomas A. Farley, “New York City’s comprehensive smoking prevention program THE COURIER/File photo A new law proposed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg would require retail stores to conceal tobacco products. has led to a decrease in the smoking rate in adults from 21.5 percent in 2002 to 14.8 percent in 2011.” But “smoking remains the leading preventable cause of death in New Yorkers, killing thousands per year, and youth smoking rates have remained flat at 8.5 percent since 2007.” Young people exposed to tobacco product displays are 2.5 times more likely to start smoking than those who have less exposure, the mayor’s office said in a release. The 2011 Retail Advertising Tobacco Survey found that 80 percent of the city’s tobacco retailers have “the majority of the area behind the checkout counter devoted to tobacco display.” The law would allow retail stores to display tobacco advertising. Other countries, including Canada, England and Australia, have already implemented laws on concealing tobacco products. According to the AP, last year, the Village of Haverstraw in Rockland County dropped a similar measure after only four months because of a costly lawsuit brought by convenience stores and tobacco companies. -With additional reporting by Adjani Shah Cabrera Tax Flyer_Comrie Queens Courier2 3/14/13 10:24 AM Page 1 Council Member Leroy Comrie, Food Bank For New York City, and The City University of New York invite you to FREE* Tax Preparation Saturday, March 23, 2013 9 am-5 pm * Qualified people will get their taxes completed for FREE. Income limits • $50,000 with dependents. • $18,000 without dependents. To qualify you must have the following: • If filing jointly with a spouse, both of you must be present with photo IDs. • Social Security cards or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN), or copies, for you and your spouse if filing jointly and anyone you are claiming on your tax return, or a letter from the Social Security Administration. • W-2s for all jobs you held in 2012. • Form 1099-G if you received unemployment insurance in 2012. • Form 1099-INT if you received interest from a bank account in 2012. • Form 1098-T if you paid tuition. • Form 1098-E if you paid student loan interest. • If you are claiming child care expenses, amount you paid and child care agency’s ID or name and Social Security number of the babysitter. First United Methodist Church of Jamaica 162-10 Highland Ave. Jamaica, NY 11432 Food Bank For New York City 646-315-7703 Council Member Comrie’s office 718-776-3700 DIRECTIONS: F-Train to Parsons Blvd., turn east on Hillside Ave., left onto Parsons Blvd., and right onto Highland Ave. For more information about additional locations, dates and times for ongoing free tax preparation, call 646-315-7703 or visit www.foodbanknyc.org/taxhelp We do not prepare the following returns: Itemized returns; Schedule C (Profit or Loss from Business - except limited Schedule C for child care providers and taxi drivers); Complicated & Advanced Schedule D (Capital Gains and Losses); Schedule E (Rents & Losses); Form SS-5 (Request for Social Security Number); Form 2106 (Employee Business Expenses); Form 3903 (Moving Expenses); Form 8606 (Nondeductible IRAs); Form 8615 (Minor’s Investment Income). foodbanknyc.org/taxhelp
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