Rao bulletin 1 August 2015 html edition this bulletin contains the following articles

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  You receive an email or see a social media post urging you to claim a free voucher or gift card. "You have-earned-yourself a $100-GiftCard: Take Our-Survey," reads the subject line of one version. This time of year, fake airline offers are particularly popular, but the "gift card" could be from any well-known brand. The email urges you to click a link and complete a short customer survey.
  
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  It sounds easy... but don't do it! These survey scams have a variety of tricks. The link may lead to a real survey, but when you complete it, the $100 gift card happens to be "out of stock." Not coincidentally, all that remains are "free" samples of spammy products like diet pills and wrinkle cream. In other versions, the form is actually a phishing scam that requests banking and credit card information. Or the link may download malware to your computer to steal your passwords and other critical information.
  

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  Look up the website on WhoIs (https://www.whois.net). Right click on the link and select "Copy Link Address." Then, paste this destination URL into the WhoIs.net directory. This directory will tell you when and to whom a domain is registered. If the URL is brand new, or if the ownership is masked by a proxy service, consider it a big warning sign of a scam.
  
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  Watch out for look-alike URLs. Scammers pick URLs that look similar to those of legitimate sites. Be wary of sites that have the brand name as a subdomain of another URL (i.e. brandname.scamwebsite.com), part of a longer URL (i.e. companynamebooking.com) or use an unconventional top level domain (the TLD is the part of the name after the dot).
  
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  Legitimate businesses do not ask for credit card numbers or banking information on customer surveys. If they do ask for personal information, like an address or email, be sure there's a link to their privacy policy.
  
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  Watch out for a reward that's too good to be true. If the survey is real, you may be entered in a drawing to win a gift card or receive a small discount off your next purchase. Few businesses give away $100 gift cards just for answering a few questions.
  

To find out more about other scams, check out BBB Scam Stopper at http://www.bbb.org/council/bbb-scam-stopper. [Source: BBB Scam Alert | June 19, 2015 ++]

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  You are looking online for freelance photography jobs. One post looks particularly promising, a family in your area is hiring a photographer to take family portraits. You send a message to the email provided, but, in their reply, the potential client has some odd requests.
  
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  First, the client doesn't want to meet or talk on the phone. He or she only wants to communicate by email. Second, the family is amazingly flexible with their time. They give you a huge window in which they are available for photos. Finally, there's the biggest red flag of all. The client wants to send you a check for far more than your fee. You are supposed to deposit it and transfer the difference to an "event planner" or other third party.
  
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  Don't take the job! A version of this scam is targeting freelance photographers across the US and Canada. The exact scenario given may change, but the central scam remains the same. If you deposit a fake check, the money will appear to be in your account. But if you transfer the funds before the bank officially clears the check, you are responsible for the difference.
  

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  Don't fall for an overpayment scam. No legitimate job would ever overpay a contractor and ask him/her to wire the money elsewhere. This is a common trick used by scammers.
  
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  Watch out for clients who won't meet in person or talk on the phone. You may be an excellent candidate for a job, but beware of offers made without talking first. Scammers use many excuses to avoid talking, ranging from having surgery, being out of the country or even being hearing impaired. If your "client" will only communicate through email or text message, that's a big red flag.
  
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  Watch out for bad grammar. Many scams targeting job seekers and freelancers operate overseas. Be wary of help wanted postings and emails written in poor English.
  
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  If a job looks suspicious, search for it online. If the result comes up in other cities with the exact same post, it is likely a scam.
  

Learn more about this scam at http://www.wfsb.com/story/29299692/new-scam-targets-photographers. To find out more about other scams, check out BBB Scam Stopper at http://www.bbb.org/council/bbb-scam-stopper. [Source: BBB Scam Alert | June 19, 2015 ++]

No state personal income tax.

Property taxes account for about 30% of Washington’s total state and local taxes.  Properties are appraised at 100% of fair market value.  A property tax exemption program is available for persons age 61 or older, or persons unable to work due to a physical disability.  The property, which can include up to an acre of land, must be owner/buyer occupied.

Washington replaced the inheritance tax in 1982 with an estate tax. Effective January 1, 2009 the Washington State filing threshold is different from the federal filing threshold for completing the estate tax return. If the decedent has a gross estate or a taxable estate plus taxable gifts of $2,000,000 or more, the estate is required to file a Washington State estate tax return.

To compare the above sales, income, and property tax rates to those accessed in other states go to:

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  Sales Tax: http://www.tax-rates.org/taxtables/sales-tax-by-state.
  
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  Personal Income Tax: http://www.tax-rates.org/taxtables/income-tax-by-state.
  
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  Property Tax: http://www.tax-rates.org/taxtables/property-tax-by-state.
  

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  Indiana collects from its residents a flat tax of 3.4 percent of federal adjusted gross income with modification.
  
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  Indiana tax returns are due April 15, or the next business day if that date falls on a weekend or holiday.
  
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  Most Indiana counties also collect income tax. The state of Indiana's Department of Revenue releases a list of counties and their tax rates.
  

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  On April 1, 2008, Indiana's state sales tax rate increased to 7 percent.
  
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  The increase, the first since 2002, was due to the addition of a penny to the state sales tax to offset property tax cuts.
  

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  Property taxes are administered at the local level with oversight by the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance.
  
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  The Department of Local Government Finance has developed summaries to provide taxpayers information about property taxes in their counties. Each county summary provides a property tax breakdown and shows the shift of property tax burden between property classes. Additionally, the summaries break down where each property tax dollar goes, show comparisons of local spending by unit and list recent debt issued by unit.
  

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  Legislation enacted in 2013 retroactively repealed Indiana's inheritance tax effective Jan. 1, 2013. The law also established a procedure for inheritance tax refund claims, which can be made by filing Form IH-5 with the Indiana Department of Revenue
  
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  Indiana does not collect an estate tax.
  

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  Qualified Indiana taxpayers can file state returns at INfreefile, the Indiana Department of Revenue's free Web-based tax-filing service at www.in.gov/dor/4740.htm.
  
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  Indiana law requires the Revenue Department to post online all businesses whose registered retail merchant certificates have expired due to nonpayment of delinquent sales tax. Refer to http://www.in.gov/apps/dor/rrmc/Default.aspx to view the list.
  
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  A list of Indiana's various taxes and their rates can be found on the Indiana Department of Revenue website http://www.in.gov/dor/3467.htm.
  

[Source: http://www.bankrate.com/finance/taxes/state-taxes-indiana.aspx July 2015 ++]