The Business and Economics Department continues to serve patrons who do not do their Federal and State taxes electronically by offering paper distribution of Federal and California Tax Forms, Instructions, and Publications. We are one of the few locations remaining in Los Angeles that still provides the paper forms as well as the supplemental materials to aid in completing them. For additional information on LAPL tax resources and services, see our homepage link under the title Tax Season is Here! We Can Help. This year was made more challenging by the last minute Congressional legislative maneuvering which delayed receipt of our Federal 1040 Instructions by a month.
Standard sources we regularly refer to for step-by-step, detailed information on completing forms are the IRS’s Publication 17 – Tax Guide for Individuals and The Ernst & Young Tax Guide, as well as the Lassers’s annual income tax guides. Year to year changes in the tax law are covered comprehensively in the U.S. Master Tax Guide published by CCH (Commerce Clearing House) with the relevant legal code and explanatory text. The Internal Revenue Code (Title 26 of the United States Code Annotated) is available in a print, multi-volume set, current to 2011 with updated information available from the U.S. Code online. The California Tax Handbook and the Guidebook to California Taxes provide current State tax law updates for private individuals, small businesses and corporations.
A frequent question during tax season is from patrons researching historical values of stocks for income tax purposes. Our Daily Stock Price Record gives over fifty years of historical stock prices from the major exchanges. The Standard and Poor’s Netadvantage Database provides the Daily Stock Price Record in electronic format. The Capitol Change Reporter tracks important company events including stock price changes due to management changes, stock splits, mergers and acquisitions. A convenient source for both patrons and librarians is the Yahoo Finance website with historical stock prices for companies that are currently in business. The Wall Street Journal on microfilm is a less convenient but a very valuable stock price resource. Historical stock prices are available on a spot-check basis from: Moody’s, Standard & Poor’s Corporations, National Stock Summary, and the NQB Semi-annual Stock Summary.
