The agency says they submitted questionable returns.
Annapolis, Md (KM). Some more tax preparers have been flagged by the Maryland Comptroller’s Office. The agency says it’s stopped processing returns from these companies with offices in Maryland, Virginia, Texas and California for submitting questionable returns and expecting a refund. “Our algorithms are very precise in putting these returns aside that get flagged. So we’re not paying out the false refund,” says Comptroller Peter Franchot.
The companies which have been flagged are:
KC and Son Tax Service, 4831 Belair Road, Baltimore, MD 21206
OAS, 13127 Wonderland Way, Suite 2, Germantown, MD 20874
Immaculate Money LLC, 1612 Shady Glen Drive, District Heights, MD 20747
Geneva Sanders, 504 Placid Court, Apt. K, Odenton, MD 21113, and 202 Easton South, Apt. 2, Laurel, MD 20724
Brightway Professionals and Associates, 4810 St. Barnabas Road, Suite 201, Temple Hills, MD 20748
All Choice Tax & Payroll Services, Inc., 1401 Mercantile Lane, Suite 200K, Upper Marlboro, MD 20774
Keystone Tax Solutions K2, 6323 Brown Ave., Baltimore, MD 21224
New Valley & Co., also known as Prologix Tax, 11140 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852, and 5929 Schering Road, Baltimore, MD 21206
BOFMOT, 9208 Fairlane Place, Laurel, MD 20708
Bencok One Inc., 5623 Reisterstown Road, Baltimore, MD 21215
Annoited [sic] Tax & Consulting Service, also known as ATP Too, 100 West Road, Suite 100, Towson, MD 21204, and 2717 Landvale Ave, Baltimore, MD 21218
Alcantara Driving School Corp., 1620 Elton Road, Suite 201, Silver Spring, MD 20903 and 1310 Merrimac Driver, Silver Spring, MD 20903
Ardy Sowe Tax Service, 7703 Loughborough Place, Beltsville, MD 20705
Freedom Tax Services, 1268 E North Ave., Baltimore, MD 21202
Rhodes & O’Neil Accounting, 1108 East Main St., Suite 702, Richmond, VA 23219
Safe STEM Institute, 22054 Shaw Road, Suite B, Sterling, VA 20164
Double R Taxes, 2318 N Charles St., Baltimore, MD 21218
Precise Financial, 8950 Westpark Drive, Suite 102A, Houston, TX 77063
Gabriel Ajak, 9304 Forest Lane, Suite 5108, Dallas, TX 75243
Michael Smith, 1719 E Jefferson Ave., Pomona, CA 91767
The Comptroller’s Office these firms are added to the 34 which have already been flagged this tax season for submitting questionable returns They can be reinstated if they come into the Comptroller’s Office and explain why they shouldn’t be flagged for preparing false tax returns. Franchot says so far very few have ever done so.
If you haven’t filed your return for this year, and you need someone to prepare your taxes, Franchot says be careful about which one you choose, and go with your sixth sense. “The basic thing you look out for is just how do you feel as somebody walking into one of these offices,” he says. “If it seems fly-by-night or shady, just leave.”
He also suggests working with a tax preparation firm that’s open all year round; not one that disappears after the filing deadline of April 17th.
Franchot also says if you have someone do your taxes, look over the return before signing it, and ask questions if you see something unusual. “If there are business deductions for a business that you don’t have, don’t just say ‘gee, isn’t that nice? I’m getting money back. But gosh, I don’t have a business.’ You are responsible for your tax returns so make sure it’s accurate before signing it,” he says.
And make sure the preparer signs it as well. “So that he or she is liable just like you if the returns turns out to be inaccurate,” says Franchot.
If you suspect tax fraud, call the Comptroller’s Office at 1-800-MD-TAXES (1-800-638-2937); or in central Maryland, call 410-260-7980.
By Kevin McManus