The Ketchikan Business Assistance Center, located in the Ketchikan Career Transition Center, is pleased to offer the following Small Business Workshops in February.

• Purchasing a Small Business - Thursday, March 4th, 1:00p.m. - Looking to buy a business? This workshop is designed to assist you in valuing, planning, and purchasing a small business. What to ask, what to check, what to consider, the mechanics of the transfer of ownership.
• Business Plan Preparation Thursday, February 18th, 1:00p.m. - We plan parties, we plan vacations, and we even plan fishing trips. Your business is or will be one of the most important activities of your life. Why not plan it??? Not surprisingly, businesses that prepare a business plan experience 25% greater sales, 83% greater profits, and hire 24% more employees than businesses who did not prepare a business plan. Prepare yourself to succeed.

These workshops are presented by David Sharman, CBC, as a service of the Juneau Economic Development Council, in cooperation with your Ketchikan Career Transition Center, and funded through the JTPA. The workshops are fast paced, informative and entertaining. There will be time allocated in each workshop to discuss your business and answer your questions.

All Ketchikan residents may attend the workshops at no charge. Individual business counseling is also available at no charge to those eligible persons. Call David Sharman at 247-7526 for an appointment or workshop information.

Dave Sharman, Business Consultant

New Tax Savings

Remember, if you have been to school, use NEW TAX SAVINGS! New tax breaks help finance the cost of education…

• Hope scholarship tax credit is worth up to $1,500 of the cost of the first two years of post-secondary schooling incurred by a taxpayer, a spouse or a child.
• Lifetime learning credit gives a tax credit equal to 20% of up to $5,000 of the cost of any instruction at a higher educational institution.
• Interest on student loans is now deductible, up to $1,500 in 1999 ($1,000 in 1998).
• Education IRA is a new kind of savings vehicle that can accept non-deductible contributions of up to $500 annually for a beneficiary under age 18. Distributions are tax free if used to pay qualified education costs.
• Tax-favored state college savings plans are authorized by Congress. Rules vary by state, so check with your state. Note: These new tax benefits have varying qualification rules and "phase out" ranges for high-income individuals, so be sure to check with your tax adviser.