Now in its third year, the Style Club is a volunteer organization for teens and is a part of the Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust's PREIT Cares initiative. The club provides opportunities for youth to participate in community service projects and mall events, help local charities and model in mall fashion shows.

The mall invites local girls and boys to join the Style Club and in return for their participation, the mall provides members with monthly programs that focus on self-development and issues that affect them, such as health, beauty, fitness, fashion, etiquette and more.

Style Club members must be between 13 and 18-years-old, dependable, cooperative and willing to meet the commitments of the program, have time to commit to mall-sponsored programs and events and be fun loving, responsible students dedicated to their schools and communities. Members participate in the club for a one-year period.

"The Style Club emphasizes education, teaches youth about fashion and self-development and provides a rich opportunity for local youth to connect powerfully with their peers and the community at large," said Sharon Leonard, mall marketing director. "We're committed to enhancing young lives, and it's a pleasure to continue to provide this exciting program for local teens throughout the region."

Applications for the Susquehanna Valley Mall Style Club are available at customer service or www.susquehannavalleymall.com. The deadline for submission is Monday and space is limited. For more information, call 374-0441.

Lamont Masser, a senior tax adviser with H&R Block, addressed the group, which held its monthly meeting this month at Hollywood Pizza and Bakery, Oak Street.

Masser said he started preparing tax returns 21 years ago. Today, he and his brother operate seven H&R Block locations in Northumberland, Dauphin and Montour counties.

He said the big local tax issue is Act 32, a law that streamlines and standardizes the local earned income tax system. Act 32 reduces Pennsylvania's number of Earned Income Tax (EIT) collectors from 560 to 21.

Under Act 32, employers are required to withhold the higher of the employee's local tax where they live versus the rate of tax where they are employed.

Another local issue is the Business Privilege and/or Mercantile Tax, which is based on the gross receipts - not the profits - of businesses in an area. Businesses located in or doing work in Shamokin Area School District are subject to this tax.

Rentals are also subject to this tax. Many people are unaware of this and there has not been a great deal of enforcement action to date on this tax, but the penalties can be steep for those who get caught, Masser said.

One issue that overlaps state and federal taxes is the credit reduction on FUTA, or 940 returns.

"Essentially, because Pennsylvania has borrowed money from the feds to provide unemployment benefits, the feds are imposing an additional retroactive tax to collect back some of these loans," Masser. "Don't be surprised if you end up owing a balance due on your 940 FUTA return. It can amount to up to $21 per employee." The federal government will announce each November which states employers will have the extra tax.

Federal issues include those involving health care reform and the payroll tax holiday, which was extended with great debate by Congress at the end of 2011. It expires again on Feb. 29, Masser noted, and unless Congress extends the tax cut through the rest of 2012, the employees' portion of Social Security contributions will return to the 2010 amount of 6.2 percent of wages. This would mean almost a $1,000 decrease in take-home pay for someone earning $50,000 over the full year.

Masser also encouraged businesses and homeowners to check eligibility for tax credits related to the flooding from last year.

And he noted that the tax deadline is April 17 this year because April 15 is a Sunday and Washington, D.C., will observe Emancipation Day on April 16. Deadlines for filing state returns are also April 17.

Tuesday's luncheon was sponsored by Family Home Medical, Mount Carmel.

The chamber, which has a "Spotlight" member each month, shined the light on itself for this meeting. Benefits of membership were reviewed; they can also be found at www.brushvalleychamber.com under the "members" tab.

The next luncheon is set for Tuesday, Feb. 21, at Harry's Grille, Shamokin. Dave Burns will speak about "Networking Your Way to Success."