The stubborn long-term unemployment rate is just beginning to decline. Over the past several years it set into motion a domino effect of poverty from homelessness. First a person loses a job, and then they lose their car and home because they cannot afford them. This causes an increase in the homeless population. Studies show that children growing up in a homeless family do not succeed as well in school and often have behavior problems. The cycle of poverty is a complex and devastating spiral that will grow deep within the next generation and exacerbate if it is not dealt with quickly.

Attention taxpayers: A few little-known and often overlooked benefits of this tax-filing season may reduce your taxes.

When you first started out in your adult life, things were probably pretty simple: no house, no spouse, no kids, few investments. So, when it came time to do your taxes, you might have gotten along just fine by using Form 1040EZ - which, as the name suggests, is pretty darn easy to use.

When you first started out in your adult life, things were probably pretty simple: no house, no spouse, no kids, few investments. So, when it came time to do your taxes, you might have gotten along just fine by using Form 1040EZ - which, as the name suggests, is pretty darn easy to use.

Our View: Mesa Mayor Scott Smith has started to prepare the public for the possibility that the Chicago Cubs could be gone in four years.Smith sounded somewhat pessimistic at a Tuesday news conference as he outlined the city’s efforts to convince the Cubs to stay in Mesa for spring training after 2012.

A proposal for Gilbert to begin charging a 1.5 percent use tax on products brought into town but purchased in another jurisdiction (and Gilbert didn’t collect sales tax), including online sales, died on a 3-3 tie vote at the council’s Tuesday night meeting.

The Gilbert Town Council decided Tuesday night to continue discussing the idea of adopting a 1.5 percent use tax. It would be charged on items purchased outside of Gilbert without a local sales tax imposed but used primarily in the town. These taxes are charged by most other East Valley cities and generally are pursued only on automobiles and other big-ticket items.

Q: What should I do to make sure my computer is safe to do my taxes? - Todd

Gilbert has a long road to travel in regards to the budget in the coming years. Much of the reason behind our current situation can be attributed to unnecessary spending and over-reliance on the sales tax.

Folk singer Woody Guthrie crooned that “this land is your land, this land is my land” — what he forgot to tell us was that it was going to cost us to enjoy it.

Folk singer Woody Guthrie crooned that “this land is your land, this land is my land” — what he forgot to tell us was that it was going to cost us to enjoy it.

How can a state or city tax residents for buying an item somewhere else?

It’s Wednesday morning outside of Queen Creek and uniformed officers are sticking long, thin plastic straws into fuel tanks to find what looks like red cherry soda pop.

Our View: The Obama administration is considering taxing motorists on how many miles they drive, the so-called vehicle mileage tax. Federal highway construction is financed by a gas tax, which Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told The Associated Press “is an antiquated system for funding our highways.”

Almost three years after Spur Cross Ranch was purchased to keep it undeveloped, the 2,150-acre preserve in Cave Creek has yet to be opened to full public use.

Economic development by the state of Arizona is about undergo a welcome shake-up, as Gov. Janet Napolitano moves to put many of the main players in the same room to craft a common strategy for attracting new businesses and for boosting wages and salaries.

Nearly one-third of Arizonans who have filed their federal income tax returns failed to request the telephone excise tax refund.

NEW YORK - When Congress passed the economic stimulus package back in February, the measure contained a huge tax break for small businesses, dramatically increasing a popular deduction on equipment purchases.

Some East Valley landowners and real estate developers are reaping low property tax bills by farming their investment property.