“As President of United Way of Pickens County, I am thrilled to be offering our community free tax preparation services through the IRS’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program with the help of IRS-trained and certified volunteers. VITA ensures that tax payers receive the maximum amount of eligible tax credits and deductions available to them, particularly the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). Valuable tax credits like EITC can literally return thousands of dollars to the pockets of hard working people in Pickens County.
“Our area has been hit hard by the economy and families need to be able to keep as much of their earnings as possible. We want folks to pick up the phone and call 2-1-1 to book an appointment today that is convenient to their schedule and residence. Our sites are located throughout the county in Clemson, Liberty, Pickens and Easley and are open mornings, evenings and weekends from now through April 15.
“Through our free tax preparation assistance program, we can save individuals the fee for filing a tax return that most for-profit preparers would charge. We would rather have our area families keep that filing fee that others charge, using it to make ends meet or save for the future,” said Julie Capaldi, President of United Way of Pickens County.
This Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program is a direct result of a joint partnership between the United Way of Pickens and Greenville Counties. In Greenville, VITA has been available to area residents for six years; through this partnership VITA is now being offered as a county-wide initiative in Pickens County for the first time. Pickens County’s program began helping residents file their 2011 tax returns on January 23rd and will continue to do so through April 15th.
By providing free income tax assistance to working individuals and families, the VITA program plays a vital role in the United Way’s goal of making Pickens County more financially stable. VITA does this by helping individuals and families increase their income while serving as a natural vehicle for connecting residents to additional financial stability programs. Those that take advantage of United Way’s free tax preparation services will also learn about financial education classes and work support programs, two more financial independence initiatives that are available free of charge to Pickens County residents through the United Way and its partners.
VITA sites in Pickens County are as follows: The Parenting Place- Easley, Pickens County YMCA-Easley, Hampton Memorial Library-Easley, Liberty Senior Center-Liberty, Village Branch Library-Pickens, and Clemson Community Care-Clemson.
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