March 6, 2006

Miami Mayor Manny Diaz launched the city’s 2006 EITC and free tax preparation campaign at a press conference January 31 at the Corpus Christi Community Service Center.

Corpus Christi is one of 15 city'sponsored locations offering free tax preparation services as part of this year’s campaign, with services provided from January 24 through April 8. Eligible residents could qualify to receive a federal income tax refund of up to $4,400 via the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and up to an additional $1,000 per child via the Child Tax Credit (CTC).

EITC tax credits can result in sizable refunds for low-income working families and help millions of individuals out of poverty nationwide. Each year, thousands of eligible households in Miami fail to claim this entitlement, leaving millions of dollars worth of EITC benefits unclaimed. Last year, the city’s campaign proved its most successful to date, assisting approximately 9,200 low- to moderate-income residents with free or low-cost tax preparation services, saving them close to $800,000 in tax preparation fees, and accounting for just over $20 million in total refunds.

Partners in the 2006 campaign include the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), The Benefit Bank, the Human Services Coalition of Dade County, Inc., and the city’s Community Development and Neighborhood Enhancement Team (NET) Departments. The city is also proud to renew its partnership this year with H & R Block to offer discounted tax preparation to Miami residents at 16 H&R Block locations city-wide. Residents interested in scheduling a tax preparation appointment at one of the city-sponsored sites, or city-affiliated H&R Block sites, can call 311 or 305-649-1313.