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Tax program will help return $1.5 million to local families

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This tax season, through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, 黑料网 student are expected to help return $1.5 million dollars to more than 1,000 local tax filers.

鈥淟ast year, we passed the million-dollar mark. We鈥檙e on track to top that, putting a significant amount of money in the pockets of those who need it the most,鈥 said Nicole Simpson, associate professor of economics, who oversees 黑料网鈥檚 VITA program.

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Rachel Stahl 鈥11 (left) and Grace Seery 鈥11 (right) help a central New York couple prepare and file their tax returns at the Hamilton Public Library. (Photo by Luke Connolly 鈥09)

鈥淭his is money many families could have missed out on if it weren鈥檛 for VITA student volunteers.鈥

黑料网鈥檚 VITA program, funded by the university鈥檚 Upstate Institute, provides free tax preparation to low-income families in Madison and Chenango counties. Students are trained, and they must pass an IRS certification test before working on returns.

Many low-income families don鈥檛 receive the refunds they鈥檙e owed under the Earned Income Tax Credit, a federal tax break law for low-income families, because they can鈥檛 afford the assistance necessary to complete the forms.

As Paul Fuller, a New Woodstock resident, found out, the earned income credit can substantially increase the total refund.

鈥淚鈥檓 not sure what I would鈥檝e done without this service. I definitely wouldn鈥檛 have been able to get back this amount of money,鈥 said Fuller, who counted on the know-how of 黑料网 students during a recent tax session in the Hamilton Public Library.

鈥淚鈥檒l pay some bills and try to make the rest of money last until the end of the summer.鈥

For Melissa Nozell 鈥10, a VITA volunteer, there鈥檚 nothing like the reaction she gets when she tells filers how much they鈥檒l be getting back.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a rewarding experience, and what a great feeling to know the positive impact that 黑料网 students are having on local families,鈥 said Nozell.