Why does the COMMUNITY FORUM FOR ECONOMIC JUSTICE support VITA – the VOLUNTEER INCOME TAX ASSISTANCE program that provides free, electronic tax filing for low-to-moderate income taxpayers?
The Community Forum for Economic Justice supports policies and activities that improve living standards and broaden opportunities for the residents of St. Joseph County. Since 2008, we have supported VITA, an IRS program for low-to-moderate income residents. Tax preparers who work with the VITA program receive IRS training and certification and are supervised by IRS representatives. In 2015, trained and certified Community Forum members contributed over 30% of the program’s volunteer hours, helping it complete a total of over 3,000 returns.
Our goal is to provide free electronic tax filing for as many residents as possible, and to help eligible taxpayers file for the Earned Income Tax Credit. E-filing is simple, accurate, and leads to rapid processing and to a rapid refund, if one is due. Taxpayers who e-file through a free service can avoid paying large sums of money to paid preparers, and/or to services offering predatory “rapid refund” loans. We want to help taxpayers e-file their taxes and receive their refunds speedily, with no extra expense.
The US government has offered the Earned Income Tax Credit, an anti-poverty program, for many years, but not all eligible taxpayers know about it. It provides extra money to workers who earn low incomes, particularly if they are supporting children. The EITC is a refundable credit, so eligible taxpayers can receive it as a refund even if they have little or no tax to pay. Many eligible taxpayers do not file for this credit because they are not aware of it, and a large amount of money is therefore lost to these taxpayers and to our community. We want to help taxpayers receive all deductions and credits for which they are eligible, including the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit.
The VITA program offers tax preparation at many sites throughout the South Bend/Mishawaka area, with additional sites in North Liberty, Plymouth and Elkhart. For dates, times and locations, contact Goodwill (472-7321) in early January.
For more information about the VITA program, or to volunteer your time, contact the Community Forum for Economic Justice: email sjc.cfed@gmail.com