March 2023 | Jeff Howard's Las Vegas Area Real Estate blog

Wind in the Willows at the Las Vegas Little Theatre

The play Wind in the Willows was originally a novel by Kenneth Grahame and then adapted for the theater as a play by Caroline and James Moran.

The famous English gentleman, Mr. Toad of Toad Hall, sees his first motor car and promptly falls uncontrollably in love with motoring, so he buys a car which he then crashes. Another car is purchased, followed by another crash, and another—and another! For once at the throttle, Toad in his goggles and duster is a man possessed.

Eventually, he is instructed to stay off the road so he steals a car. He is caught and gets sent to jail for 20 years. While there, he learns that Weasels have taken over his old family home and all his friends have been thrown out. But the jailor’s daughter adores Toad for his charm and dash and she helps him escape. In an exciting climax, Toad, Ratty, Badger, and Mole retake Toad Hall by storm.

This fresh adaptation from Cambridge University features dress-up clothes; mischievous weasels; an epic baguette duel; the majesty of the British countryside reduced to stuffed animal road-kill; a jet pack, a chase scene puppet show, and undoubtedly the most glorious picnic ever staged.

So “hop” on board for the greatest story ever “toad”.

Play ” Wind In The Willow” pr May 13, 2003 Photography by Mark A. Philbrick

General Admission tickets $20 Adults, $10 Students under 18.

The Las Vegas Little Theatre is located at 3920 Schiff Dr, Las Vegas, NV 89103, and this production is on their “Black Box” stage presented by Alchemy Arts Academy

Call (702) 362-7996 or visit LVLT.org for tickets

Live performances:

Friday, March 24 & 31 @ 8pm

Saturday, March 25 & April 1 @ 2pm

Saturday, March 25 & April 1 @ 8pm

Sunday, March 26 & April 2 @ 2pm

Do you have a need for commercial/industrial/retail buildings or land? Are you ready to buy or sell a home? Do you want a guaranteed cash offer? We can help you with all of that… just call us at 702 SELL NOW or click on this link to my website http://www.702SellNow.com

Choose to have an amazing day….Jeff

Things You Should Know to Get Ready for Tax Day (cue “The Tax Man” by the Beatles)

First of all, you have to figure out what is important to you and the IRS as you prepare your tax forms. Each situation is different and can make a huge difference in the amount you pay in taxes and the paperwork you have to file. The IRS is helping you get off to a good start this year by listing some of the issues the Agency believes are important to a wide range of filers.

Reporting rules changed for Form 1099-K

Taxpayers should receive Form 1099-K, Payment Card, and Third-Party Network Transactions, by the end of January, if they received third-party payments in the tax year 2022 for goods and services that have exceeded $600. The taxability remains the same for 2022. All income, including from part-time work, side jobs, or the sale of goods is still taxable. Taxpayers are supposed to report all income on their tax return unless it’s excluded by law. The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 lowered the reporting threshold for third-party networks that process payments for those doing business.

Now a single transaction exceeding $600 can require the third-party platform to issue a 1099-K. Money received through third-party payment networks from friends and relatives as personal gifts or reimbursements for personal expenses is not taxable.

Some tax credits return to 2019 levels

This means that affected taxpayers will likely receive a significantly smaller refund compared with the previous tax year. Changes include amounts for the Child Tax Credit, Earned Income Tax Credit, and Child and Dependent Care Credit.

Those who got $3,600 per dependent in 2021 for the CTC will if eligible, get $2,000 for the 2022 tax year.
For the EITC, eligible taxpayers with no children who received roughly $1,500 in 2021 will now get $500 in 2022.
The Child and Dependent Care Credit returns to a maximum of $2,100 in 2022 instead of $8,000 in 2021.

No above-the-line charitable deductions

During COVID, taxpayers were allowed to take up to a $600 charitable donation tax deduction on their tax returns. However, in 2022, those who take a standard deduction may not take an above-the-line deduction for charitable donations.

Increased eligibility for the premium tax credit

For the year 2022, taxpayers may still qualify for temporarily expanded eligibility for the premium tax credit. This is explained by the IRS – The premium tax credit – also known as PTC – is a refundable credit that helps eligible individuals and families cover the premiums for their health insurance purchased through the Health Insurance Marketplace. To get this credit, you must meet certain requirements and file a tax return with Form 8962, Premium Tax Credit.

These are just a few of the changes. The best advice I can give you is to work with your tax professional to make sure you’re taking advantage of all the provisions applicable to you. If you’d like me to refer you to someone, please let me know.

Choose to have an amazing day….Jeff

The Las Vegas to Los Angeles Rail System Seems to Finally be on Track

Brightline West has entered into agreements with several rail unions to build, operate and maintain the high-speed rail line from Las Vegas to a few different points in California

The estimated $8 billion project would connect Las Vegas to Los Angeles via a route alongside Interstate 15. There are planned stations in Las Vegas and in California in Victorville, Hesperia, and Rancho Cucamonga, where a connection with the Metrolink would carry passengers to and from downtown Los Angeles.

The Federal Railroad Administration recently released an environmental assessment report for the Cajon Pass portion of the project, a 49-mile extension of the track would run between the Victor Valley and Rancho Cucamonga. The assessment report noted the FRA determined that the Brightline project wouldn’t result in a significant impact to the environment or have a negative impact on low-income or minority populations. It also said that building the project was the FRA’s preferred option.

When the Brightline portion of service opens the Las Vegas to Rancho Cucamonga portion to service 5.6 million one-way rides annually, or 14 percent of the projected 49.1 million annual travelers between the two areas. That total jumps to 6 million passengers when adding the 380,000 projected person ridership between Hesperia and Rancho Cucamonga.

By 2030, ridership is expected to increase to 7.6 million for Southern Nevada to Southern California line, with an 8.1 million total when adding the commuter passengers between Hesperia and Rancho Cucamonga.

In 2035, Brightline forecasts ridership between Las Vegas and Rancho Cucamonga to grow to 10.6 million. Total ridership, including the high desert commuters, would jump to 11.3 million.

By 2044, the last year of ridership projections provided in the report, the Las Vegas to Rancho Cucamonga line is projected to carry 11.5 million passengers and 12.3 million total with California commuters included.

When completed the rail line between Las Vegas and Los Angeles will be 260 miles long with the trip between the two cities — on zero-emission electric trains — expected to take about three hours.

A 65,000-square-foot terminal in Las Vegas is expected to be constructed on a portion of 110 acres of land owned by Fortress Investment Group, which owns Brightline through an affiliate. This station will be located on Las Vegas Boulevard between Warm Springs and Blue Diamond.

There will be a mix of Federal grants and private activity bonds for funding that Brightline would apply for in both Nevada and California, though the amount requested in each state could be less than was previously awarded.

Brightline previously was approved for $200 million in private-activity bonds in Nevada and $600 million in California. Internal Revenue Service guidelines would allow Brightline to market those tax-exempt bonds for up to four times their amount, or a combined total of $3.2 billion.

The bipartisan infrastructure bill signed into law last year could infuse increased funding for rail projects, such as high-speed rail. Details on what that could entail for projects such as Brightline’s is expected to be released by the end of the year. But that could lead to billions of dollars in federal grant funding for the Brightline West project.

The environmental assessment also notes the project would not only reduce passenger vehicles on the stretch of I-15, which would help ease freight strains and it would also decrease greenhouse gas emissions.

There has been talk about this train for years, and now it seems that it might really happen.

Choose to have an amazing day….Jeff