Chamber Invites Public to Inglewood State of the   City Address

The Inglewood 2010 State of the City Address will take place March 18, with 11:30 a.m. registration and a noon luncheon, at the Hollywood Park Racetrack — Sunset Terrace Room, 1050 S. Prairie Ave., Inglewood. The event’s speaker will be City Councilman Ralph Franklin.

RSVP by March 12. Tickets will not be available at the door.

Cost: $60. Mail checks and reservations to the Inglewood/ Airport Area Chamber of Commerce, 330 E. Queen St., Inglewood.

Information: (310) 677-1121, inglewoodchamber@sbcglobal.net.

Extension of Lending Programs Will Support $1.8B in Small-Business Lending

WASHINGTON (SBA) — President Barack Obama has signed legislation extending until March 28 the U.S. Small Business Administration’s ability to provide small-business loans that are enhanced with special provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, including a higher guarantee of SBA-backed loans and a waiver of loan fees normally paid by borrowers.

SBA estimates the additional funding will support about $1.8 billion in small-business lending. Loan applications from borrowers in SBA’s Recovery Loan Queue will be funded first, followed by new loan applications.

Information: (202) 205-6948.

BBA Announces Salute to Black Women Business Conference

(BBA) — The Black Business Association will host its annual Salute to Black Women Business Conference and Awards Luncheon March 27 at the Omni Hotel in Los Angeles in recognition of Women’s History Month. 

Financial security, self-improvement and other workshops will be offered.

Information: (323) 291-9334, www.bbala.org.

IRS Has $1.3 Billion for People Who Have Not Filed a 2006 Tax Return

(IRS) — Unclaimed refunds totaling more than $1.3 billion are awaiting nearly 1.4 million people who did not file a federal income tax return for 2006, according to the Internal Revenue Service. To collect the money, a return for 2006 must be filed with the IRS no later than April 15, 2010.

Some people may not have filed because they had too little income to require filing a tax return, even though they had taxes withheld from their wages or made quarterly estimated payments. In cases where a return was not filed, the law provides most taxpayers with a three-year window of opportunity for claiming a refund. If no return is filed to claim the refund within three years, the money becomes property of the U.S. Treasury.

The law requires that the return be properly addressed, mailed and postmarked by that date. There is no penalty for filing a late return qualifying for a refund.

Though back-year tax returns cannot be filed electronically, taxpayers can still speed up their refunds by choosing to have them deposited directly into a checking or savings account. The IRS reminds taxpayers seeking a 2006 refund that their checks will be held if they have not filed tax returns for 2007 or 2008.