Tax Time Service Opportunity!

by: Jesse C. Biringer

Fri Jan 16, 2009 at 15:27:39 PM EST

This call to Take Action is no longer active.

I am starting an exciting and timely volunteer opportunity that I would like to share and recommend—

On Monday, as part of the Martin Luther King Day of Service, I will be training as a tax volunteer for the Campaign for Families—a partnership that provides free high-quality tax preparation and financial services for Philadelphia’s low wage earning families and households.  In the last 6 tax seasons the Campaign has trained thousands of volunteers who have prepared 68,500 tax returns, providing low wage families with $106 million in federal and state refunds and saving them $17 million in tax preparation and other fees.
 
The Campaign focuses on ensuring that eligible consumers receive the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)—a refundable tax credit available to low wage working families.  In the 2009 tax season, the refundable credit will be worth up to $4,824 and available to families making less than $42,000 per year.  EITC is one of our nations’ most effective anti-poverty initiatives and gives families the opportunity to pay off debt and save toward their financial and personal goals.

And the Campaign for Working Families is not alone—it is part of IRS’ Volunteer Income Tax Assistance or VITA Program.

VITA volunteers receive training and certification to help prepare basic tax returns in communities across the country.  Sites are generally located at community and neighborhood centers, libraries, schools, shopping malls, and other convenient locations. Most locations also offer free electronic filing. In addition to the VITA program, the IRS partners with AARP to run AARP Tax-Aide, a program serving seniors.

Most free tax sites run mid-January through April and are gearing up to open.  Many have already started their volunteer trainings, but it is not too late to get involved.  Many programs need to recruit additional tax preparers and may also need people to greet customers, keep small children entertained, copy documents, etc. Or—consider donating to your local VITA site or joining a lobby that promotes EITC, the Child Tax Credit, and other tax credits for low wage earning families or households.

To locate your nearest VITA site: visit the National Community Tax Coalition at http://www.tax-coalition.org/ or call the IRS at 1-800-829-1049; To locate the nearest AARP Tax-Aide site, call 1-888-227-7669 or visit AARP's Internet site.

To learn more about taxes and other economic issues affecting low wage families: visit the IRS at http://www.irs.gov, the Brookings Institute at http://www.brookings.edu/, the Center for Economic Progress at http://www.centerforprogress.org/ or the Campaign for Working Families at http://www.phillyfreetaxes.org
 
For more on Martin Luther King Day of Service visit http://www.mlkday.gov/