Sam Helps Kick-off: CASH TAX ASSISTANCE SITE
Jane Ames
CASH (Creating Assets, Savings and HOPE)
Kick-Off Event: Lloyd Center, 3rd floor between the Food Court and Nordstroms.
Thank you to a wonderful set of Partners: CASH; Executive Director Jim Harper; AARP; Social Venture Partners; and the IRS, with leadership from Senior Tax Specialist, Kathy Howel.
We are here for the Tax Season Kick-off, and looking forward to great returns for a lot of Portlanders who could use some help with their tax forms.
• This is CASH’s new headquarters, and 1 of about 50 AARP Tax-Aide sites in the Portland Metro area that will prepare tax returns for FREE.
If you are having trouble filing your taxes, and are confused, they are here to help.
They especially want to reach all of you who might qualify for:
• The Earned Income Tax Credit, and remember the key word is CREDIT.
• If you qualify (you do have to file your tax returns to qualify) you get this money. It belongs to you, even if you pay NO TAXES. (Some people without children do qualify.)
The Earned Income Tax Credit is a low income tax credit, for working individuals and families.
Last Year alone:
• more than 21 million individuals and families in the U.S. received the credit - more than $39 BILLION in income.
• In Oregon, about 210,000 families and individuals received over $349, million in these credits.
• Here in Portland, 44,000 families and individuals qualified: they received over $68 million.
• The IRS has a problem with about 20 to 25% of Individuals and families who would qualify.
o That Problem: Those people are not receiving the credits that rightly belong to them.
o The REASON: They are not filing their tax returns.
• We expect that about 15,000 Portlanders who do qualify are not filing their returns and collecting their credits.
• The credits are Very Real Money: between $1,000 and $4,000 per year.
So today, we open CASH’s new Tax Assistance Site here at The Lloyd Center. They can have up to 10 volunteer tax preparers at one time.
o CASH Oregon has recruited approximately 70 new volunteer tax preparers.
o AARP has been working on this effort for years.
The volunteer tax preparers are trained by the IRS and the Oregon Department of Revenue.
o They are here to assist you.
o Come on Down and get help with your taxes.
o See if you qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit.
Remember, if you do qualify, it is money that is rightfully yours. You will receive it whether you pay taxes or not.
But you must file. So let CASH, the IRS, AARP help you Create Assets, Savings and HOPE.
Posted by Jane Ames on February 16, 2006
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