City and Local Agencies Partner to Provide Income Tax Preparation Assistance for 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 17, 2009

For more information, contact:
Sue Owens, Program Specialist, Community & Family Resources Department, City of Bloomington, 349-3468
Danny Lopez, Communications Director, City of Bloomington, 349-CITY, [mailto:lopezd@bloomington.in.gov]



Bloomington, IN - Mayor Mark Kruzan has announced a collaboration between the City of Bloomington, the United States Internal Revenue Service and several community agencies to offer free tax preparation and filing assistance to area residents through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program.

VITA is a program that gives qualified, low- to moderate-income taxpayers free tax preparation assistance as they electronically file their federal and state tax returns. Additionally, VITA will assist taxpayers who are eligible to receive tax refunds from the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). The EITC is a refundable tax credit, often one of the most underutilized programs available to working families.

Volunteers from community organizations will staff locations and are required to pass an IRS-administered examination. To get a comprehensive listing of times and locations of VITA sites in Bloomington please visit the City of Bloomington website at [http://bloomington.in.gov/vita|http://bloomington.in.gov/vita].

"The Earned Income Tax Credit is a great way for families to actually put more hard earned money in their pockets," Kruzan said. "These credits can result in significant income boost - up to $5,657 for families that qualify. The tax credits are important too because they bring federal dollars into our local economy."

The local EITC effort has been operational for several years and has been increasingly successful each year. The program is intended to insure that local residents make full use of the EITC and maximize the tax benefits available to them under the credit.

Along with the City, the participating community groups include Area 10 Agency on Aging, Ellettsville Branch Library, Indiana University Maurer School of Law, Ivy Tech Community College, The Monroe County Public Library, United Way of Monroe County, AARP, El Centro Comunal Latino and volunteers from the IRS-sponsored VITA program.

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