Q: If tax returns for people who are due a refund are received late by the Internal Revenue Service, are they penalized?
-- Alex Costas, Norcross
A: No, IRS spokesman Mark Green told Q&A on the News. "However, generally if a taxpayer is due a refund for withholding or estimated taxes paid, it must be claimed within three years of the return due date or [they] risk losing the right to it," he wrote in an e-mail. The same rule applies to a right to claim a tax credit such as the Earned Income Tax Credit.
Q: There was a news item about a house fire that could not be timely extinguished because a fire hydrant was not properly working. In the past, in this subdivision, the Marietta Fire Department would periodically flush the hydrants of sediment and to ensure they are operational. Does the Marietta Fire Department (or all metro fire departments) have a schedule to periodically inspect and test fire hydrants?
-- David Corpening, Marietta
A: There are two types of water systems -- public and private -- that have fire hydrants, Matt Kilgallen, spokesman for the Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner, told Q&A on the News. Public hydrants are those normally adjacent to city streets and county roads; private water systems are often in industrial parks or apartment complexes. For public hydrants, inspections are sometimes done by the fire department, but usually the water purveyor ensures these are inspected and replaced if needed, Kilgallen wrote in an e-mail. For private hydrants, the owner is responsible for testing and maintenance, he said.
Lori Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or e-mail q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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