Indo American News Radio Houston TX · Indo American News Radio

IANR 2614 040426 VITA Program by Dr Arpita Shroff, Grand Vaisakhi Night Mela by Jasmeeta Singh, Stricter Visa Rules by Atty George Willy

April 5, 2026·1 hr 54 min·9 clips

Dr. Shroff says many F-1 and J-1 students overpay Social Security and Medicare taxes for years without knowing they can file Form 843 to get a full refund.

1. Indo-American News Radio's Saturday 3-6 p.m. program with hosts Jawahar and Gautam Sinha (filling in for Sanchali) covers community news, a tax assistance interview, and a Vaisakhi arts preview on a cool Easter weekend. 2. Co-host Gautam Sinha joins the regular panel; the show notes it is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and other platforms and has been ranked number two among 100 Houston podcasts by Feedspot. 3. The episode's core utility is practical: the VITA segment provides time-sensitive free tax filing information two weeks before the April 15th deadline. 4. News anchor Pramod Kulkarni reports the US lost an F-15 and an A-10 Warthog in the Middle East conflict, with one airman still missing, while Trump issued a 48-hour ultimatum for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran rejected. 5. The UN warned the Middle East conflict could cause up to 3 million job losses regionally, with tourism and logistics the hardest-hit sectors; Oracle's UAE offices and Amazon Web Services' Dubai offices were struck by Iranian missile debris. 6. The US Labor Department reported 178,000 jobs added in March, up from a previously reported 133,000 decline in February, though the hosts note immigration drops and rising retirements are changing labor supply dynamics. 7. Trump fired Attorney General Pam Bondi and replaced her with deputy Todd Blanch, his former personal attorney, reportedly because Bondi was not pursuing cases against Trump opponents including James Comey, Letitia James, and Adam Schiff. 8. Houston water bills are rising 7.87% from April 1st — a combined 1.37% inflation adjustment and 6.5% multi-year hike — pushing a typical 4,000-gallon household from $75/month in 2021 to $125/month, driven by a federal Clean Water Act mandate requiring $2 billion in sewer repairs over 15 years. 9. The Fort Bend Star newspaper is closing after 48 years, following the Heights-area Leader paper's closure last month after 75 years; hosts note 136 US papers have closed this year alone and urge South Asian community members to support their community media. 10. Memorial Hermann and Blue Cross Blue Shield have failed to reach a contract agreement, leaving Blue Cross patients with out-of-network costs at all Memorial Hermann facilities unless they have an existing ongoing treatment. 11. Dr. Arpita Shroff, associate professor of accounting at the University of Houston Downtown's Marilyn Davies College of Business, chairs the VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) program and has trained over 110 student volunteers who are IRS-certified to prepare tax returns. 12. VITA is free for individuals earning under $69,000 and for seniors 65 and over regardless of income, veterans, people with disabilities, limited-English speakers, and non-resident aliens including F-1 and J-1 visa holders; appointments are at uhd.edu/vita and services are available virtually. 13. Dr. Shroff reveals that non-resident students do not owe Social Security or Medicare taxes for their first five years in the US, but that employers including universities routinely deduct them anyway; VITA files Form 843 to recover these funds on behalf of students who would otherwise never know to claim them. 14. Dr. Shroff compares the US tax system unfavorably to India's, where the government pre-fills returns from its own data and filing requires only a few button clicks, while the US sends penalty notices a year after filing for 1099s it already holds but never shared with the filer. 15. A caller asks about installment payment plans if a taxpayer cannot pay the full balance by April 15th; Dr. Shroff explains Form 9465 requests and confirms the IRS often waives interest for demonstrated hardship cases, though a late-payment penalty still applies. 16. A second caller asks whether a wife's S-Corp capital gain from a sale requires estimated taxes under the social security number or under the corporate 1120; Dr. Shroff clarifies that S-Corp income flows through to the personal joint return and estimated taxes must be filed under the individual's SSN at irs.gov. 17. The interview format is relaxed and community-oriented, with hosts inserting jokes and personal anecdotes throughout; Dr. Shroff fields two live call-in questions and provides specific form numbers and deadlines. 18. The episode's tone is warm, practical, and community-serving — characteristic of a South Asian diaspora radio show that mixes civic information with cultural announcements and humor. 19. Houston-area residents facing the April 15th tax deadline, international students, seniors, and small business owners will find the VITA segment directly actionable. 20. Listeners outside the Houston area or already using a professional tax preparer will find limited new utility in the tax segment, though the news coverage and upcoming Vaisakhi event preview may still be of interest.

As heard by us

Neighborhood radio banter with practical tax help.

This episode mixes neighborhood radio banter with practical help, moving from Easter greetings and weather talk into a tax segment on installment payments and the paperwork people need.

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Why you'd press play

You want tax help that sounds like a neighbor, not a manual.

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