Sarasota schedules tax-season shredding event in March

With income tax season upon us, attention often turns to documents and what to do with them.

Observer photo

With that in mind, the city of Sarasota is sponsoring one of its periodic document-shredding days on March 21 in the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall’s parking lot. As often is the case, the appropriately named local band The Garbage Men will entertain at the appropriately named ShredStock event with their unusual take on live music.

The group, also appropriately enough, promotes sustainability by playing instruments they make from trash and recycled materials. In this case, in keeping with the 1960s ShredStock theme, the band will perform music from a time when hair was long and hemlines weren't.

The shredding event runs 9 a.m. to noon, is free for city residents and will accept four boxes of documents. This time, unwanted electronics such as cell phones, computers and accessories, televisions, audio equipment, cables, small appliances and toys are among the things accepted. The city has a full list of what’s OK to bring

Not accepted for shredding are such things as CDs, DVDs, and other electronic media, hard metals, trash, or batteries, binders and binder clips and plastic items. Batteries are accepted for electronic disposal, though. 

And, since we brought up taxes . . .This service is provided by A1 Shredding & Recycling, a Better Business Bureau- and National Association for Information Destruction-certified company.Not accepted for shredding are such things as   

• The Internal Revenue Service recommends keeping all documents for three years under normal circumstances;
• Six to seven years for those who might have under reported income by 25% or reported a claim for a loss from worthless securities or bad debt;
• Three years for property records;
• Three years for business records;
• Four years for employment taxes;
• Indefinitely for corporate tax returns.

As a token of appreciation, all participants will receive a 15% off coupon for The Nest Café, located in The Bay Park, the city said in a release.