State's ag employment jumped in 2009

Employment in Washington's agricultural industry grew last year, with nearly 12,300 more seasonal and permanent jobs added between January 2009 and January 2010, according to a state report released Tuesday.
Wages for seasonal workers also rose from an average of $8.79 per hour in January 2009 to $9.42 per hour in January 2010, according to a survey of 1,800 Washington agricultural growers. The state's minimum wage for 2010 is $8.55 per hour.
And mild weather in January boosted seasonal employment in the northcentral, southeast and southcentral regions of the state as workers were able to prune fruit trees, primarily apples. The number of seasonal ag jobs climbed by 7,110 from January 2009 to January 2010, an increase of 47.4 percent, the state Employment Security Department said.
"There's no such thing as a recession in the agriculture industry. People have to eat," said Bruce Grim, executive director of the Washington State Horticultural Association.
There were a total of 68,330 permanent and seasonal agricultural jobs in Washington in January, up from 56,030 in January 2009, according to the state. The highest number was in the southcentral area -- Yakima and Klickitat counties -- at 21,380 in January 2010.
The next highest was 17,710 in the northcentral area -- Chelan, Douglas, Okanogan and Kittitas counties -- followed by 11,680 in the southeast area of Benton, Franklin and Walla Walla counties. That was up by 1,960 from January 2009.
Seasonal jobs jumped from 15,010 statewide in January 2009 to 22,120 in January 2010, with 6,910 reported in the southcentral area in January 2010 and 5,720 in the southeast, according to the report.
"In the Tri-Cities, if things go well I'd expect by May or June we'll be up to 22,000 jobs," said Dean Schau, regional labor economist.
"I don't think people realize how huge an industry agriculture is in our state. We measure our foreign exports in billions of dollars and it's going all over the world," he said.
The report does not include jobs in food processing, which fall under manufacturing. There were another estimated 40,000 workers employed statewide in food processing, including 4,000 in the Tri-Cities alone, Schau said.
Grower Jeff Gordon of Gordon Brothers in Franklin County said he was able to keep the same seasonal work crew this spring that he's had the last several years "and that's gratifying."
Gordon added, "Agriculture has always been mislabeled as the minimum-wage payer of the American economy, and it's not true and never has been. We pay good wages for good people to do a good job."
Part of the growth in the state's seasonal labor force last year was huge apple and cherry crops, which required more workers. About 60,000 seasonal workers are needed at harvest alone to pick apples, cherries, berries, peaches, and other crops, according to the Washington Farm Bureau.
Growers largely were able to secure enough workers for harvest in 2009, according to the state Employment Security Department report. Part of the reason was the recession, which prompted some unemployed workers who had moved into the building trades or construction-related jobs to return to agriculture, Grim said.
He said, however, that he's concerned about the availability of seasonal labor seasonal this year if the economy improves and those same workers return to nonagricultural jobs, particularly if the apple and cherry crops again are large.
And current immigration policy at the federal level also could limit the number of workers, he said.
The American Farm Bureau Federation has filed a lawsuit seeking a temporary restraining order to prevent new H-2A regulations from going into effect that it fears would make federal rules more burdensome and restrict the number of available workers. The federal H-2A program allows agricultural employers to obtain visas for seasonal workers if there are not enough available resident workers.
"These new H-2A rules are onerous and not workable," Grim said. "My concern is it will reduce the number of workers when higher-paying jobs open up again in other areas of the economy."

Tax refunds up 10% due to stimulus

White House officials said Monday that tax credits launched under last year's economic recovery bill have boosted the average refund by nearly 10% from the previous year.

The average tax refund for 2009 has reached $3,036, up $266 from a year ago, according to early data from the Internal Revenue Service.
Administration officials said the increase is largely due to tax benefits available under the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The extra cash is a boon for the middle class and provides an important stimulus for the economy, officials said.

"The Recovery Act is a major factor behind these larger, record refunds," said IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman. "About half of all Americans haven't filed their taxes yet, so we urge them to look carefully at these Recovery provisions."

Under the Recovery Act, which was implemented last year to combat the economic crisis, taxpayers can take advantage of over a dozen tax benefits.

Among the benefits are the making work pay credit, worth up to $800 for married couples filing jointly, the $8,000 first-time home buyer credit, and sales tax deductions on new car purchases.

In addition, the act includes credits for homeowners that make their homes more energy efficient. It also expanded eligibility for a $2,500 tax credit on college expenses and made the first $2,400 of unemployment benefits tax free.

Speaking at a news conference in Washington, Vice President Joe Biden said bigger refunds will help working families recover from one of the worst recessions on record and urged Americans to take full advantage of the credits.

"These Recovery Act tax credits not only provide some needed relief for working Americans, but also help them invest in their families' futures," Biden said.

Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner added that the nearly $300 billion in tax benefits will help the economy recover by encouraging Americans to spend, which will help business and ultimately stimulates job growth.

"The more that individuals and families take advantage of these benefits, the more money is pushed back into the economy, helping all Americans as we grow our way out of this crisis," Geithner said.

However, some critics argue that the bigger tax refunds could be due to factors other than the Recovery Act credits, including a larger number of Americans withholding more last year due to unemployment or other economic hardships.

Individuals who work into the year and get laid off typically over-withheld while they are working, said J.D. Foster, a senior fellow specializing in fiscal policy at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative research group. That over-withholding can lead to larger refunds.

"There are many reasons for refunds to be up and no reason at this point to believe the tax credits from the Recovery Act were a particularly important explanation," Foster said. To top of page

Time Is Running Out to Collect 2006 Refund

Here is a persistent myth about taxes: If you are getting a refund, there is no time limit on how long you have to file your federal income-tax return.
That may sound logical. After all, if you don't claim your refund on time, you're just hurting yourself.
But it's flat wrong. There are strict time limits -- and many people appear to be unaware of that.
The Internal Revenue Service announced recently that it's trying to deliver refunds totaling more than $1.3 billion to nearly 1.4 million people who still haven't bothered to file a federal income-tax return for the 2006 tax year.
To collect, these people typically must file their returns with the IRS no later than April 15 of this year, the IRS says.
"In cases where a return was not filed, the law provides most taxpayers with a three-year window of opportunity for claiming a refund," according to the IRS. "If no return is filed to claim the refund within three years, the money becomes property of the U.S. Treasury. For 2006 returns, the window closes on April 15, 2010."
The law requires that the return be "properly addressed, mailed and postmarked by that date," the IRS says. There's no penalty for filing a late return that qualifies for a refund.
Maybe some of those nonfilers didn't bother filing because the expected refund amount was tiny. But the median unclaimed refund amount for 2006 is $604, the IRS says.
The IRS offers another possible explanation: Maybe some didn't file because they didn't have enough income to require them to file for that year.
Whatever the case, make sure you're up to date on filing your returns not only for 2006 but also for 2007 and 2008. The IRS says taxpayers seeking a 2006 refund will discover that their checks will be held if they haven't filed for 2007 or 2008.
Also, the refund "will be applied to any amounts still owed to the IRS and may be used to satisfy unpaid child support or past-due federal debts such as student loans," the IRS says.
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IRS Has $1.3 Billion for People Who Have Not Filed a 2006 Tax Return

Unclaimed refunds totaling more than $1.3 billion are awaiting nearly 1.4 million people who did not file a federal income tax return for 2006, the Internal Revenue Service announced today. However, to collect the money, a return for 2006 must be filed with the IRS no later than Thursday, April 15, 2010.

The IRS estimates that the median unclaimed refund for tax-year 2006 is $604.

Some people may not have filed because they had too little income to require filing a tax return even though they had taxes withheld from their wages or made quarterly estimated payments. In cases where a return was not filed, the law provides most taxpayers with a three-year window of opportunity for claiming a refund. If no return is filed to claim the refund within three years, the money becomes property of the U.S. Treasury.

For 2006 returns, the window closes on April 15, 2010. The law requires that the return be properly addressed, mailed and postmarked by that date. There is no penalty for filing a late return qualifying for a refund.

The IRS reminds taxpayers seeking a 2006 refund that their checks will be held if they have not filed tax returns for 2007 or 2008. In addition, the refund will be applied to any amounts still owed to the IRS and may be used to satisfy unpaid child support or past due federal debts such as student loans.

By failing to file a return, people stand to lose more than refunds of taxes withheld or paid during 2006. For example, most telephone customers, including most cell-phone users, qualify for the one-time telephone excise tax refund. Available only on the 2006 return, this special payment applies to long-distance excise taxes paid on phone service billed from March 2003 through July 2006. The government offers a standard refund amount of $30 to $60, or taxpayers can base their refund request on the actual amount of tax paid. For details, see the Telephone Excise Tax Refund page on IRS.gov.

In addition, many low-and-moderate income workers may not have claimed the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). The EITC helps individuals and families whose incomes are below certain thresholds, which in 2006 were $38,348 for those with two or more children, $34,001 for people with one child and $14,120 for those with no children. For more information, visit the EITC Home Page.

Current and prior year tax forms and instructions are available on the Forms and Publications page of IRS.gov or by calling toll-free 1-800-TAX-FORM (1-800-829-3676). Taxpayers who are missing Forms W-2, 1098, 1099 or 5498 for 2006, 2007 or 2008 should request copies from their employer, bank or other payer. If these efforts are unsuccessful, taxpayers can get a free transcript showing information from these year-end documents by calling 1-800-829-1040, or by filing Form 4506-T, Request for Transcript of Tax Return, with the IRS.