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Thursday, March 31, 2022 • The San Diego Voice & Viewpoint
www.sdvoice.info
LOCAL/HEALTHY LIVING/INTERNATIONAL SDG&E CUSTOMERS
to Receive Upcoming Bill Credit California Climate Credit to offset bills by as much as $171.40 April to Sept. Voice & Viewpoint Newswire
Photo: Nataliya Vaitkevich
Less Than A Month To Tax Day
In the coming months, San Diego Gas & Electric’s (SDG&E) residential customers will receive a break on their utility bills – up to $171.40 in bill credits, thanks to the California Climate Credit program. Administered by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), the program is part of the state’s efforts to fight climate change. In April, natural gas customers will see their bill reduced by $43.06 – more than double last year’s credit. In both August
and September, SDG&E electricity customers will see their bills offset by $64.17 in climate credits (or a total of $128.34), almost double last year’s amount. The electric Climate Credits are applied to bills during the typically hottest months in the year, when energy use tends to be higher due to air conditioning. The California Climate Credit is a state program
that requires power plants, natura l gas providers, and ot h e r l a r g e industries that emit greenhouse gasses to buy carbon pollution permits. The credits on customers’ bills represent their share of the payments from the state’s program and provide customers an increased opportunity to invest in energy-saving products.
There is no action required to receive the credit. All residential natural gas customers will automatically receive this credit from SDG&E on their April bill. All electricity customers, including community choice aggregation customers, will automatically receive the credit on their August and September billing cycles. For more information, visit SDGEnews.com.
MILLIONS YET TO FILE Families can miss out on thousands of dollars by not filing by April 18 Voice & Viewpoint Newswire The April 18 tax filing deadline is fast approaching. According to the most recent data from the Franchise Tax Board (FTB), filing for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is down 5% among Californians this tax season compared to last year, and while nearly 4 million California residents claimed the tax credit last year, less than 35% of those eligible have filed for the credit this year. Thousands of dollars in tax credits are available to California residents – and all they have to do is file their taxes to receive them. There are numerous no-cost tax filing options available. One resource is MyFreeTaxes.org, United Ways’ free tax filing program and tax education resources, provided in both English and Spanish. It’s not too late for working families in California to get additional tax credits from the state – California is offering two tax credit programs to help families stay afloat: • The California Earned Inc ome Ta x C re d it (CalEITC) ranges from $255 to over $3,000 for families with incomes up to $30,000. • If you qualify for the CalEITC AND have a child under the age of 6, families can file for the Young Child Tax Credit
(YCTC) for up to an additional $1,000 per child. Families should stay away from pay-to-file companies to file for these tax credits, which average $400. According to an audit by the Treasury General for Tax Administration, more than 14 million taxpayers in 2019 may have paid tax software providers when they could have filed for free. Federal tax credits are also still available to families – even if households made $0. The Child Tax Credit (CTC) provides up to $3,600 per child under the age of 18 as of December 31, 2021. The EITC adds up to $6,728 if the filer made less than $57,414. As of March 2022, the IRS had a backlog of 7.2 million unprocessed individual returns for 2021, a far higher number than the typical one million. Expect to experience delays when filing. The agency also added new EITC or CTC regulations to prevent identity fraud, so filers should be prepared for an additional delay if filing for these programs. For more information, free assistance, and to see if you qualify for no-cost tax filing, visit MyFreeTaxes.org or text “taxes” to 211-211 to find a free tax filing site near you.
UNINSURED?
You May Still Be Able to Get Health Coverage
Consumers can benefit from Covered CA’s lower premiums throughout 2022 Voice & Viewpoint Staff Wednesday, March 23rd marked the 12th anniversary of the enactment of the Affordable Care Act, the most significant improvement to America’s health care system since the passage of Medicaid and Medicare more than five decades ago. Californians may still be able to sign up for comprehensive coverage during the current Covered California special-enrollment period. Though open-enrollment ended on Jan. 31, there are many life changes that allow Californians to enroll right now. The most common qualifying life events are: • Losing health coverage • Getting married • Having a baby • Permanently moving to California or moving within California “The door may still be open to you if you need health insurance, because Californians can still sign up for comprehensive coverage through Covered California if they have a change in their life circumstances,” said Jessica Altman, executive director of Covered California. The
federal
American
Rescue Plan built on the Affordable Care Act in significant ways. Take advantage of the financial help provided by the American Rescue Plan if you qualify for coverage during this year’s special-enrollment period.
Special Enrollment Qualifying Life Events In addition, there are several qualifying life events that are available due to the public COVID-19 health emergency and the American Rescue Plan: • You or a family member have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. • You have a household income under 150 percent of the federal poverty level, which is less than $19,320 for an individual and $39,750 for a family of four. • Eligible consumers in this income bracket would qualify for a Silver 94 plan, the best coverage available through Covered California, at no cost. • You paid the penalty because you did not have health insurance. Visti coveredca.com/support/before-you-buy/qual-
WORLD TRADE HEAD PREDICTS FOOD RIOTS
In poor countries due to ukraine war
Global Information Network
sumption baskets of poor people all over the world,” Okonjo-Iweala said.
Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, the head of the World Trade Organizer, is warning that skyrocketing global food prices as a result of the war in Ukraine could trigger food riots from people going hungry in poor countries. WTO Director General Okonjo-Iweala urged foodproducing countries against hoarding supplies and said it was vital to avoid a repeat of the Covid pandemic, when rich countries were able to secure for themselves the bulk of vaccines.
“It is poor countries and poor people within poor countries that will suffer the most.”
N. Okonjo-Iweala.
In an interview with The Guardian of the UK, the WTO director general noted the dependence of many African countries on food supplies from the Black Sea region.
“I think we should be very worried. The impact on food prices and hunger this year and next could be substantial. Food and energy are the two biggest items in the con-
Okonjo-Iweala, a former Nigerian finance minister, said 35 African countries were dependent on food imported from the Black Sea region, adding that Russia and Ukraine were responsible for 24% of global supplies of wheat. After being strongly critical of the “vaccine apartheid” that affected Africa during
ifying-life-events/ to find a full list of qualifying life events. “Today, two of every three Covered California enrollees can get name-brand coverage for $10 a month or less, thanks to the expanded eligibility and record financial help through the American Rescue Plan,” Altman said. Consumers who sign up during special enrollment will have their coverage begin on the first of the following month.
Photo: Unsplash
Check Your Eligibility and Options at CoveredCA.com
enrollment portal and certified enrollers will also help people confirm eligibility for Medi-Cal, which is available year-round and begins the day after a person signs up.
• Visit Covered California’s online Shop and Compare Tool to check eligibility for financial help and which plans are available in their area. Visit https:// app l y. c ov e re d c a . c om / lw-shopandcompare/. • Find the nearest certified enroller in your neighborhood by visiting https:// www.coveredca.com/support/contact-us/. • Call Covered California at (800) 300-1506 to get information or enroll by phone.
Through the federal law’s expansion of Medicaid, millions have enrolled through California’s Medi-Cal program. California’s implementation of the Affordable Care Act has resulted in a drop in the state’s uninsured rate to a record-low 6 percent in 2020. Communities of color have been among the biggest beneficiaries, with the uninsured rate for Latinos decreasing by 50 percent, and by nearly 66 percent for Black and Asian American/Pacific Islander consumers.
Covered California’s online
the pandemic, she said WTO member states had to resist the temptation of protecting their own food stocks. “It is a natural reaction to keep what you have – we saw that with vaccines. But we shouldn’t make the same mistake with food.” The last time rising food prices sparked food riots was between 2006 and 2008. Protests broke out in developing countries as prices in a wide range of food, oil and other primary commodities increased in dramatic fashion, in some cases more than doubling within a few months. Policymakers were presented with the challenge of simultaneously addressing hunger, poverty, and political instability. In Africa, food riots swept
across the continent, from Egypt and Tunisia in the North, to Burkina Faso and Senegal in the West, and Madagascar and Mozambique in the South (Fig. 1). The crisis reinforced the extent to which oil and food markets have become highly interdependent, and highlighted the relative inability of national governments and the international community to adequately deal with dramatic surges in food prices. “We must make sure we learn the lessons from vaccines and previous food crises,” Ms. Okonjo-Iweala said. “I am not sure we can fully mitigate the impact of the war in Ukraine because the numbers involved are huge, but we can mitigate some of it.”
