Page 24 THE VILLADOM TIMES IV • April 25, 2012 Area Villadom Happenings (continued from page 2) Chamber office by 3 p.m. on May 7. For more information, visit www.mahwah.com or call the Chamber office at (201) 529-5566. Legends plans Wine Pairing Dinner Legends Steakhouse, located at 118 Godwin Avenue in Midland Park, will host a four-course dinner featuring the wines of Washington State. Certified wine educator Gerry Piserchia, director of wine education at Fedway Imports, will be the speaker. Piserchia is a level one sommelier. The event is set for Wednesday, May 2 at 6:30 p.m. and will include a tasting of five fine wines paired with the dinner. The cost is $50 per person plus tax and gratuity. For reservations, call (201) 445-2881. Community choir presents concert Voices of Praise, a community choir and orchestra, will perform a concert on Friday, May 4 at Covenant Christian Reformed Church, 400 North Haledon Avenue in North Haledon. “A Night of Praise” will begin at 7 p.m. The event is free and the public is invited. Tennis Club holds Open House The Upper Ridgewood Tennis Club will host its Spring Open House for prospective members on Saturday, April 28 from noon to 4 p.m. (Rain date: April 29.) The club offers 15 Har-Tru tennis courts, seven paddle tennis courts, instruction for children and adults, a ball machine, tournaments, a full-service bar, and various social events. Tennis enthusiasts at all levels are welcome. The club offers flexible membership options for adults, children, and families. For more information, or to arrange a complimentary hour of court time, call (201) 447-1503 or www.upperridgewoodtennis.com. The club is located at 915 Glenview Road in Ridgewood. SPCA hosts animal communicator The Bergen County SPCA will host animal communicator and spiritual medium Teresa at the Paramus Elks Club, 200 Route 17 North in Paramus, at 8 p.m. on Friday, April 27. During this interactive event Teresa will select audience members and connect them with family members, friends, and animals who have passed over. She will also hold readings and connect audience members with their angels. The cost to attend is $40. Tickets may be purchased at the door or by calling (201) 475-1044. Spring Clergy Day scheduled The Pastoral Care Department of Christian Health Care Center will hold a Spring Clergy Day for area clergy members from 8:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. on May 9. “Pastoring in the Eye of the Storm: Centering Your Ministry in an Overwhelming World.” will be held in the Christian Health Care Center Auditorium at 301 Sicomac Avenue in Wyckoff. Rev. N. Graham Standish, Ph.D., MSW, senior minister at Calvin Presbyterian Church in Zelienople, Pennsylvania and adjunct professor in the doctor of ministry program at the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, will discuss maintaining a balance on a solid center so work becomes a joy rather than a burden. Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. with a light continental breakfast. A hot buffet luncheon will be provided following the program. There is no charge for this event. RSVP by April 30, to Diane Cioffi at (201) 848-5839 or at dcioffi@chccnj.org. Those registering should include their name, congregation, address, telephone number, and e-mail address. Animals rescue benefit set Save the Animals Rescue Team II, also known as START II, will hold a fundraiser on Thursday, April 26 at The Royal Manor in Garfield. The doors will open at 5 p.m., and the event will run from 7 to 11 p.m. Admission is $40 and includes dinner and one sheet of prize tickets. All proceeds will help benefit Save the Animals Rescue Team II, a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit corporation that relies solely on donations and fundraisers for its income. To purchase tickets, call (845) 268-3575 or visit www.startii.org. Anyone interested in volunteering, fundraising, donating supplies or funds, or providing a foster home for an animal may call (201) 797-8861. Grand Slam to aid West Bergen’s Kids Grand Slam event organizers discuss details of the upcoming event. (Photo courtesy of TKL Marketing, Ho-Ho-Kus.) Event organizers met recently to plan the first Grand Slam for West Bergen’s Kids. The event, which is set for Wednesday, June 6, will be held at the Indian Trail Club in Franklin Lakes. Committee members include: Carol Cohen, West Bergen Director of Development; Lee Schaeffer, West Bergen Chief Operations Officer; Kerri Kane, Suffern, New York; Pat Hanratty, Montvale; Lucy Moure, tennis director, Indian Trail Club; Diane O’Brien, event co-chair, Franklin Lakes; Sally Grinch, Ridgewood; Brenda Gallagher, event co-chair, Ho-Ho-Kus; Michael Tozzoli, West Bergen CEO; and Lorraine Kallman, Ridgewood. The all-day event will begin with women’s tennis at 9:45 a.m., including bagels, coffee, and fruit, followed by lunch at noon, including a champagne toast and a Fashion Show featuring the Spring Collection from Yansi Fugel of Ridgewood. Talina Toscano, a talented 13-year old, repre- senting the autistic community, will offer a special singing performance. Tickets are $75 per person for tennis and lunch or just the lunch and fashions. The event will benefit West Bergen’s programs and services for youngsters on the Autistic spectrum. To purchase tickets, visit www.westbergen.org or contact Carol at (201) 444-3550. West Bergen is a non-profit organization that provides a wide range of psychiatric and counseling services for all age groups with various levels of need. West Bergen is committed to meeting the psychological needs of each of its clients with sensitivity and responsive, innovative services of the highest quality. West Bergen strives to improve the quality of life in Bergen County and beyond – one life at a time. For further information about West Bergen, call (201) 444-3550. Tax terminology explained (continued from page 12) Corporate tax reform: At 35 percent, the U.S. has one of the highest corporate tax rates in the world. Some U.S. companies pay close to the 35 percent top corporate tax rate while other companies pay a much lower rate as a result of tax breaks that let them lower their effective tax rates. The corporate tax structure is a hot-button issue that may be discussed during the presidential campaign, but will not likely see any changes until after the election. Repatriation tax holiday: Some American companies keep large sums of cash in other countries because they do not want to pay the current 35 percent corporate tax in the U.S. Instead of investing the money within the U.S. or paying it out in dividends to shareholders, the cash from these companies either sits idle or gets used to build facilities and expand outside of the U.S. Legislators have floated the idea of a temporary “tax holiday” to allow companies to repatriate all of that money at a significantly lower tax rate and get it back in the U.S. Tax incentives: A tax incentive is an aspect of the tax code designed to encourage a certain type of behavior. Tax incentives can apply to individuals or corporations. Incentives for individuals are the types of things you write off on your federal taxes to the Internal Revenue Service, such as a mortgage interest deduction or an individual retirement account. Corporate tax incentives more typically span federal, state, and local governments and are included in the tax code, but there may be specific incentives designed for individual companies. For example, a company may receive a sales tax exemption or property tax abatement from a city for building and operating in a certain location. Broaden the tax base: A broader base means lower tax rates can raise an equal level of revenues, or the same rates can raise more revenue. By taxing a broader group, the tax applies to more income. This is a concept that arose last fall as presidential candidates began discussing ways to raise revenue. Tax extenders: These tax breaks are not part of the permanent tax code and are designed to be temporary, but are extended by Congress each year anyway. These provisions, which apply to both individuals and businesses, include popular measures such as the research and development credit for businesses, and the optional deduction for state and local sales taxes for individuals. Flat tax: A true flat rate tax is a system of taxation where one tax rate is applied to all income, with no deductions or exemptions. To find more information on various financial matters, visit the NJSCPA’s public service website at MoneyMattersNJ.com.