SALISBURY — The Rowan Rowan Economic Development Council has announced that the Blanche and Julian Robertson Family Foundation, Inc. has joined the Forward Rowan campaign as a Silver sponsor.

The Forward Rowan campaign has surpassed its original stretch goal of $1.25 million and is now approaching $1.5 million. More than 50 companies and individuals have invested in the Forward Rowan campaign since it kicked off in 2020.

The Blanche and Julian Robertson Family Foundation was endowed with an initial gift of $18 million from Julian H. Robertson, Jr. of New York, the son of Blanche and Julian Robertson of Salisbury, in whose memory the foundation is named. Since the foundation’s establishment in 1997, Julian Robertson has contributed an additional $18 million to the foundation.

“We appreciate everything the Robertson Family Foundation does to move Rowan forward, and are honored that they selected the Rowan EDC and Forward Rowan to assist in those efforts,” said Rod Crider, Rowan EDC President. “We’re grateful for the support from the community in helping us work towards our three guiding principles: reducing poverty, increasing prosperity and improving quality of life.”

The organization provides grants to programs and projects that will benefit the people of Salisbury and Rowan County.

International Revenue Service releases steps for delayed federal tax filing

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The federal income tax deadline has passed for most individual taxpayers; however, some have not filed their 2021 tax returns or paid their tax due.

Some people may choose not to file a tax return because they did not earn enough money to be required to file. They will not receive a penalty if they are owed a refund but may miss out on receiving a it.

Tax owed and not paid by April 18 is subject to penalties and interest. Taxpayers in Maine and Massachusetts had until April 19 to file and pay due to the Patriots’ Day holiday in those states.

Anyone who did not file and owes tax should file a return as soon as possible and pay as much as they can to reduce penalties and interest. Electronic filing options, including IRS Free File, are still available on IRS.gov through October 17 to prepare and file returns electronically.

The military community can also file their taxes using MilTax, a free tax resource offered through the Department of Defense. Eligible taxpayers can use MilTax to electronically file a federal tax return and up to three state returns for free.

If taxpayers find that they owe taxes, they can review their available payment options. The IRS has information for taxpayers who cannot pay taxes they owe. Some taxpayers may have extra time to file their tax returns and pay any taxes due. This includes some disaster victims, taxpayers living overseas, certain military service members and eligible support personnel in combat zones.

Filing soon is important because the late-filing and late-payment penalties and interest on unpaid taxes add up quickly. In some cases, a taxpayer filing after the deadline may qualify for penalty relief. For those charged a penalty, they may contact the IRS by calling the number on their notice and explain why they could not file and pay on time.

Taxpayers who have a history of filing and paying on time often qualify for administrative penalty relief. A taxpayer usually qualifies if they have filed and paid timely for the past three years and meet other requirements. For details, taxpayers should visit the first-time penalty abatement page on IRS.gov.