CAPSAW receives grant to provide free tax preparation services

Anna Leavitt, coordinator of the Community Action Partnership of Staunton, Augusta and Waynesboro, announced an expansion of their free tax preparation services.

This expansion was made possible by a grant from the Virginia Community Action Partnership’s Virginia Cash Campaign. Leavitt explained that nationwide approximately 25 percent of eligible tax payers are not claiming the Earned Income and Child Tax Credits.

“This leaves literally millions upon millions of unclaimed dollars. When those dollars are combined with paying for tax preparation services, the burden on local working families is staggering,” Leavitt said.

The VACAP grant will help fund the development of financial education and self sufficiency programming for area residents in cooperation with the United Way of Greater Augusta.  In addition, a new tax preparation site will be available at Stuarts Draft High School.

CAPSAW opened its first Volunteer Income Tax Assistance or VITA program last winter.  Deb Koons, EITC coordinator for CAPSAW, explained that training materials are provided by the IRS and volunteers were able to be certified and provided free services to over 50 residents last year.

“Some of our clients literally could not believe the service was free.  Our volunteers saved tax payers over $11,000 in preparation fees – money that will likely be spent in our community,” Koons said.

Mary Baldwin students, meeting the College’s strategic Quality Enhancement Plan on learning for civic engagement, will help staff the existing VITA site at the Booker T. Washington Center in Staunton.  Leavitt and Koons say that eligibility requirements have expanded to include families making less than $50,000 a year.

“Why pay anything when we can provide the same quality service for free?” asked Koons.

Sites will operate at Stuarts Draft High School and the Booker T. Washington Center in Staunton once a week starting in February. Call 540.221.1654 to make an appointment.

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