April 24, 2008

Tax Preparation Program More Successful Than Ever!

With support from a collaborative grant through John Hope Settlement Center and the United Way, Facilities Manager Maria Encarnacion coordinated the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA) program at IIRI, recruiting 26 volunteers, many of them bi-lingual, to the program, and helped 36% more people than 2007.

IIRI helped a record 487 low income families and individuals electronically file their federal and state taxes, saving them over $120,000 in tax preparation fees!

On Saturday, April 5th, U.S. Representative James Langevin visited the IIRI as part of the kick-off of the IRS’s Super Saturday campaign encouraging those eligible for the stimulus package to file the necessary paperwork.  IIRI processed more tax returns than any other VITA site with the largest volunteer staff and was designated a Super Site for the program. 

This tax season was more challenging than last due to the tax stimulus package passed by Congress just as tax season was beginning.  The IRS had to work out how some recipients of the tax stimulus package would need to file if they were previously exempt from filing.  With upwards of 30 hours of training by the IRS, VITA volunteers were well equipped for the many nuances and questions from filers.   

Maria is pleased to be serving some of the most vulnerable members of our community.   “We hold ourselves to the same standards as the IRS and offer the highest level of integrity and fairness to any of our clients.  We are known locally as the place to come if you want your taxes done right!”