There's not much time left in order to meet the April 15 deadline for filing US income tax. Although some US citizens living outside of the United States and Puerto Rico may qualify for an automatic additional 2 months to file and pay the tax, keep in mind that if taxes are owed, interest will be charged from the due date of the return on any unpaid tax.

The America Center of Geneva is organizing one-on-one tax help sessions for any person who needs help with their US taxes. A staff of volunteers, trained by IRS representatives from Paris, will be available from April 2 up to June 15. Phone (+41 22) 8405166 10 am to 1 pm for an appointment.

Members of VECTA, a Voluntary Embassy/Consulate Tax Assistance program, will provide free tax assistance from 6 p.m. to 8p.m. at Amerika Haus in Frankfurt, Germany on the following Wednesdays: April 4, April 18 and April 25. Amerika Haus is on Staufenstrasse 1 near the Alte Oper subway stop and garage.

If you know about tax help sessions being organized in your area, ACA would like to hear about it.

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The complete set of ACA Occasional Papers, drawn up by founding member Andy Sundberg, is now available on this ACA website. The thirteen papers address issues such as citizenship rights, taxation, social security, education, congressional representation for overseas Americans, and voting reform. Take a look to find out more about ACA's position on these issues!

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Jane A. Bruno´s The Ex-Pat´s Guide to U.S. Taxes offers a clear explanation of the many IRS tax rules, forms and instructions sent to overseas voters in a language all laypersons can readily follow. The book was written in 1998 and revised in 1999 to include corrections for minor changes in legislation. In 2000 there were no changes that merited an update. Bruno´s book can be purchased from the ACA office in Geneva for $30.

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News Update No. 91 presented an article about the Military Retiree Class Action Lawsuit which addressed the issue of Congress going back on its word to provide lifetime medical care at no cost to military members who had entered the armed services prior to June 1956 and who completed 20 years of continuous military service. Since the government subsequently reneged on that promise, retired Air Force Colonel George "Bud" Day filed a Class Action lawsuit which is still being litigated in the Florida Courts.

On 8 February 2001, the United States Court of Appeals awarded an order claiming the government had broken a contractual obligation to two military retirees. The case involved two men from Fort Walton beach, Florida: William O. Schism, who served in the Navy and the Air Force from 1943 to 1979, and Robert L. Reinline, who served in the Army and Air Force from 1942 to 1968. Counsel for these two individuals was none other than Colonel Day. The court said the government must not repudiate its contracts. "The retirees entered active duty in the armed forces and completed at least 20 years' service on the good faith that the government would fulfill its promises," Judge Mayer declared. "The terms of the contract were set when the retirees entered the service and fulfilled their obligation. The government cannot unilaterally amend the contract terms now." The case was handed back to the US District Court in Pensacola, Fl, to award these plaintiffs damages. The twenty-one page order finds for the plaintiffs on the issue of a wrongful taking of their property, as well as finding that the plaintiffs will be entitled to damages. The full order can be viewed at http://www.fedcir.gov/dailylog.html: Schism v. Unitd States dated 8 Feb 2001. The court's ruling involved only Mr. Schism and Mr. Reinlie, but their lawyer, George E. Day, said he was trying to have the case certified as a class action.

Colonel Day's motion to certify the lawsuit as a class action was not acted upon by the District Court ruling, therefore he must go back to the US District Court to resurrect the motion. Colonel Day states that an "immediate request will be made to certify this case as a class action for these WW II and Korean veterans." Mr. Day said the reasoning of the court's decision could then provide free care for three million people. Half of them are elderly veterans who served at least 20 years in the armed forces. The other half are spouses of veterans. The government's liability could total billions of dollars. Charles A. Miller, a Justice Department spokesperson, said the government has not decided whether to appeal the ruling. Even if the Federal Government does not appeal, they still have 90 days, so there is considerable work remaining at the District Court. Military retirees who had entered the armed forces prior to June 1956, served a minimum of 20 years of active military service, were honorably discharged, and who are recipients of a military retirement pay, and who are also enrolled in Medicare Part B can join the Colonel George "Bud" Day Class Action lawsuit. For updates and particulars on how to become a member of this action, and the lawsuit, send email to: lawsuit@emeraldcoast.com

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The American Clubs of Spain and Portugal will hold their fourth annual meeting in Madrid, 20-22 April 2001. Opening remarks will be presented by US Ambassador Romero and by Andy Sundberg, a founding member of ACA. Consular affairs will be discussed by Consul General US Embassy Madrid, Philip French and Consul General US Embassy Lisbon, Luis Espada-Platet. There will be presentations by a representative of the IRS and a tax specialist. Other topics that will be discussed are health care and property purchase. This event is open to representatives of American organizations, individual citizens and members of other overseas American groups. Contact James Dodson (planting@compuserve.com) for more information.

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The next News Report, an ACA publication, is currently being printed in the US and members worldwide should receive their copies in the mailbox soon. This issue will include updates on voting reform, taxes, and citizenship, as well as information from our worldwide country contacts.

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