Councilman Mark Gjonaj (l) congratulated captain Thomas Fraser
on his recent appointment as the 45th Precinct’s commanding offi
cer. Photo courtesy of Councilman Mark Gjonaj’s Offi ce
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, FEBRUARY 1 BTR 5-21, 2019 61
Ridgewood Savings Bank to
offer free tax preparation
Action
Association
GJONAJ WELCOMES CAPTAIN FRASER
BY RIDGEWOOD SAVINGS BANK
Ridgewood Savings Bank,
the largest mutual savings
bank in New York State, will
partner with Ariva, a not-forprofi
t that helps low income
New Yorkers with fi nancial
counseling and coaching, to
provide free professional tax
preparation services at several
of its Bronx branches,
Ridgewood Savings Bank
president, CEO and chairman
Leonard Stekol, announced on
Friday, February 8.
In providing this valuable
service at no cost to eligible
Bronx residents, Ridgewood
and Ariva will deliver high
quality professional tax preparation
services safely, conveniently
and quickly.
As most returns can be fi led
electronically within hours of
completion, people can receive
tax refunds faster. Ariva’s free
income tax preparation program
is an IRS-certifi ed and
supervised program.
To be eligible, a person
must be single with no dependents
and earning less than
$30,000 annually. Anyone with
dependents is eligible if they
earn less than $55,000 a year.
“We’re pleased to be partnering
with Ariva in providing
this valuable service to
residents or our local communities,”
Mr. Stekol stated.
“As a community bank, we’re
mindful of working closely
with the people in the neighborhoods
we serve so that we
can help them reach their fi -
nancial goals.”
Tax preparation services
will be provided at the following
locations:
Saturday, March 9, 10
a.m. to 4 p.m., Community
Board 12, 4101 White Plains
Road.
Saturday, March 16, 10
a.m. to 4 p.m., Ridgewood Savings
Bank, 711 Allerton Avenue.
Ariva operates 12 tax sites
in the Bronx and one in Manhattan.
The NYC Department
of Consumer Affairs oversees
the initiative.
“Ariva is again thrilled to
partner with Ridgewood as
the bank has been hosting this
program for many years, and
it is very popular with neighborhood
residents,” said Irene
Baldwin, Ariva executive director.
“It is all the more important
this year with all of
the changes in the tax law
to have high quality professional
tax assistance and we
really encourage folks living
or working near a Ridgewood
branch in the Bronx to take
advantage of this service.”
Eligible residents should
bring a photo ID, social security
card, or Individual Taxpayer
Identifi cation Number
(ITIN) card, and income
statements or tax forms, such
as W-2, 1099, W-2G, SSA-1099,
1098, among others, as well as
any documentation for child
care payments, record of charitable
donations, and a checking
or savings account number
routing number for direct
deposit of any refund.
Space is limited. For information
or to reserve a space,
call 917-509-4609 or email
vkancler@ridgewoodbank.
com.
Founded in 1921, Ridgewood
Savings Bank is the
largest mutual savings bank
in New York State, with over
$5.5 billion in assets. With
35 branches in the New York
area, Ridgewood Savings
Bank continues to serve its
community as it did in 1921,
with their continued focus always
on their customers.
BY FRANK V. VERNUCCIO, JR.
The cost of medical care is
an issue that is essential for
almost all Americans. Unfortunately,
rather than concentrate
on viable and realistic
solutions, far too many politicians
have offered proposals
which are neither practical
nor affordable.
A RAND study notes that
“Care would not be free in a
single-payer system—it would
be paid for differently. Instead
of paying insurance premiums,
people would pay taxes,
which would be collected by a
government agency and used
to pay for health care on behalf
of the population... Many single
payer proposals, including
Sen. Bernie Sanders’ ‘Medicare
for All’ proposal, cover a
comprehensive range of services
with no or very low copays
and deductibles. While
common in many proposals , a
single-payer system would not
necessarily eliminate all outof
pocket expenses. In fact, the
current Medicare program,
which some consider a form of
single payer, has deductibles
and co-pays.”
Betsy McCaughey Ross,
who has intensively studied
the issue, stressed in a New
York Post editorial that “…A
single guy earning $82,500 a
year, and currently paying a 24
percent marginal rate, would
be hit with a 60 percent tax rate
instead. A couple reporting
$165,000 in income would also
see their marginal rate soar to
60 percent from 24 percent.”
New York State is considering
establishing a statewide
system of single payer health
care or Medicare for All. Entitled
the New York Health Act.
It would be a one-state experiment
of the proposal many Progressives
advocate for the nation
as whole.
A state think tank, the Empire
Center, is critical of the
concept, for reasons that would
be applicable to the nation as a
whole, It’s analysis notes: “…
the costs and risks of singlepayer
would be much greater,
and the benefi ts much smaller,
than its proponents claim.
Sweeping and coercive even by
international standards. Consider
just a few of the ramifi cations:
A system that covers more
people and gets rid of existing
cost controls—without slashing
provider fees—would unavoidably
drive health-care
spending up, not down.
Given the exorbitant tax
hikes required, a signifi cant
fraction of New Yorkers would
pay more for coverage than
they do now, and many if not
most of those people would be
low- or middle-income.
Even if overall spending
were kept stable, the switch to
state-controlled prices would
disrupt revenue fl ows for the
entire health-care industry—
representing almost one-fi fth
of the economy—with a destabilizing
effect on access and
quality.
“Meanwhile, single-payer
would put vastly more power
and money into the hands of a
state government notoriously
prone to corruption and ineffi
ciency.”
Missing throughout the
discussion has been the road
not travelled—solutions to
the high cost of health insurance
and the coverage of the
uninsured that do not involve
the establishment of a vast
enlargement of state or federal
governments with all the
ineffi ciencies and overlooking
of individual needs that
entails.
One of the key reasons
health insurance is so high is
the relative lack of competition.
Insurers can’t cross state lines
to give potential customers a
wider selection of choices.
While poorly performing
hospitals and doctors should
be forced to pay dearly for their
malpractices, the reality is
that many lawsuits are without
any basis, brought under
the concept that merely paying
off an agreed upon sum
is cheaper than going to trial.
Tort reform could lessen this
burden.
Nurse practitioners could
perform far more routine medical
services than they currently
do.
A fi nal thought: if ‘Medicare
for All’ is adopted, will all the
funds collected by American
workers who paid into Medicare
throughout their working
lives be refunded the amounts
collected, since now even those
who never paid a penny will receive
equal benefi ts?
BY TONY SALIMBENE
Reminders again. Mark
the 3rd Sunday for our next
regular Post 253 meeting,
10:30 a.m., at the Turner Club,
on your paper calendar or
new-fangled phone calendar
that beeps at you. (except Father’s
Day) and please bring
a potential member for one of
our units or a buddy in need
of assistance. Meeting starts
11 a.m. sharp. noon we move
to the Turner’s club room for
lunch and cash bar.
Discounts anyone? I guess
we know about The Home
Depot, how about CVS Pharmacy?
Texas Roadhouse in
New Rochelle has a Hometown
Heros 20% discount, good
chow too.
Some info on a new PTSD
treatment, promoted at the
Department Mid-Winter Conference
will be available at the
next meeting.
Opinion: Maybe we should
keep an eye on proposed affordable
housing at the Square
and ensure it won’t be built on
a veteran’s grave sites, unless
the site is properly cared for.
More on this as it unfolds.
Until next time: Anyone
who got a book from me this
Christmas, they’re due back
at the library about now.
link