BUSINESS BRIEFS
$11.1M in refunds unclaimed from IRS
Advertiser Staff
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Hawai'i residents have failed to collect an estimated $11.1 million in tax refunds because they failed to submit a federal income tax return for 2005, the Internal Revenue Service said.
The IRS estimated there were probably 9,400 individuals who could collect an average of $639. The tax agency said to collect the money, people will have to file a 2005 return no later than April 15, 2009.
The unclaimed refunds are among an estimated $1.3 billion nationwide. The IRS said some people may not have submitted returns because they had too little income to require filing even though they had taxes withheld from wages or made quarterly estimated payments.
KAUA'I UTILITY CO-OP PLANS RATE INCREASE
Kauai Island Utility Cooperative yesterday filed a notice with the Public Utilities Commission saying it intends to seek a general rate increase this year."A base rate increase may be needed at this time to provide KIUC with financial stability during these difficult times and to meet various challenges on the horizon," said Randy Hee, KIUC president and chief executive officer. "We plan to file the formal application with the PUC in May."
The "rate design studies" have not been completed, so it is too early to estimate the size of the rate hike, Hee said.
The studies will help calculate the revenues needed for KIUC to remain financially stable, and determine a rate structure that will assist KIUC in shifting its reliance away from fossil fuels, to promoting conservation and energy efficiency, and investing in renewable energy, Hee said.
COURT OKS LAWSUIT BY 2 MAUI VISITORS
A federal appeals court has ruled that two Michigan women who complained they were sickened by pesticides in their Maui hotel room should be allowed to sue.Elizabeth Gass and Deborah DeJonge said they suffered from numb tongues, stomachaches and blurred vision when exterminators sprayed their Maui hotel room with pesticide after reporting a dead cockroach.
A federal appeals court said their lawsuit alleging negligence should go to trial, overturning a judge in Grand Rapids who had ruled in favor of Marriott Hotel Services and Ecolab.
"A jury reasonably could find that defendants were negligent in inundating an occupied hotel room with pesticide spray in the absence of any warnings to the occupants," the court said in a 2-1 ruling yesterday.
A lawyer for Marriott and Ecolab would not comment.
