Tax Day Deals Might Get You Free Meals

On April 18th, restaurants will be offering tax day deals, discounts and freebies in an effort to get their share of the more than $330 billion in tax refunds that are being issued to taxpayers by the IRS. Following is a summary of some of the deals to be found across the U.S.

Tax Day Deals
Photo by socialwoodlands

In honor of the form taxpayers complete, you can get a half-chicken meal for $10.40 rather than the regular $11.77 at Boston Market. Visit the website for Outback Steakhouse, and print out a 15% off coupon which can be redeemed on April 18th. Or, get the coupon on Outback’s mobile app.

At Miami’s Trump National Doral resort or the BLT Prime in Charlotte, New York, Waikiki, White Plains, or Washington, D.C., you can get drinks for half price on April 18th.

At Schlotzky’s, enjoy a free small Original sandwich with the purchase of a 32 oz. drink and a bag of chips. Also, you can get prizes by uploading a pic of your sandwich to Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #TaxDayBites.

For tax day deals featuring discounted burgers, some McDonald’s locations in Dayton and Cincinnati are offering a buy a Big Mac or Quarter Pounder at regular price and get another for just 18 cents. In Toledo, the offer applies to Quarter Pounders. Sonic Drive-in will offer a single-patty cheeseburger at half price. And, at participating Hard Rock Cafe‘s, those 18 and over can karaoke outside the restaurant and get a free Legendary Burger, which is regularly priced at $17.95.

H&R Block Backs Voluntary Tax Certification Program

H&R Block Inc. has taken the forefront to elevate industry standards in tax preparation by supporting a new voluntary certification program initiated by the Internal Revenue Service.

Tax preparers who voluntarily enroll in continuing education courses covering basic tax filings, tax updates, ethic of tax preparation and other related issues will now receive a record of completion noting their efforts. The purpose of the IRS program is to help taxpayers find qualified individuals to prepare tax returns and to help them avoid unethical practices. A study indicating that 42 million Americans have used a tax preparer with no credentials and who operates under no state regulations or minimum standards is the impetus for this program. That figure represents about 54 percent of all returns prepared by someone other than the tax filer.

In a letter supporting the program, H&R Block CEO Bill Cobb encourage the United States government to continue promoting voluntary certification actions, indicating that his company believes the U.S Congress should set standards for professional tax preparers. Until Congress passes such legislation, however, Cobb believes a voluntary certification program is essential to protect the concerns of consumers. Such a program should also include components of the Registered Tax Return Preparer Program that the IRS previously implemented, including registration, competency measures, screenings and continuing education.

Cobb has previously commented that on an appeals court ruling that the IRS cannot regulate tax preparer, indicting that the ruling hurt honest taxpayers who are entitled to basic protections.

Kansas City-based H&R Block is one of few companies that requires minimum standards from its staff. All company tax preparers must have at least 75 hours of tax law and tax return courses in the first year of employment with 15 hours of continuing education for each subsequent year. Also required is 35 hours of system, policies and procedural training.