EASY, NO COST WAYS TO SAVE MONEY AT TAX TIME

Free programs help low and middle-income residents file their taxes, claim all benefits and deductions to maximize their refund

Washington, DC  In conjunction with the U.S. Conference of Mayors and as the tax season comes to a close, Alexandria Mayor Allison Silberberg will meet with local community leaders in Alexandria to highlight the success of the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and Free File programs on Friday, April 14th.

Thousands of community-based organizations around the country offer VITA services and connect taxpayers to IRS-certified volunteers who prepare returns for individuals who earned $35,000 or less or families who earned $55,000 or less, while Free File provides 70 percent of all taxpayers – anyone who made $64,000 or less in 2016 – access to the best-known and most trusted commercial tax preparation software products online at no cost.

Each year, tens of thousands of taxpayers receive a smaller refund because they fail to claim all the credits and deductions they are eligible to receive, particularly the Earned Income Tax Credit. VITA and Free File make filing taxes and maximizing refunds easy by walking taxpayers through the process either in-person or online, cutting down on errors and helping taxpayers get their refunds faster – with no hidden costs or fees.

WHO:               Alexandria Mayor Allison Silberberg

Teresa Hinze, Executive Director, Community Tax Aid

James Kirby, U.S. Conference of Mayors

Ellen Evans, Intuit Financial Freedom Foundation

Kate Mereen, Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA)

WHAT:             Community event to highlight success of VITA and Free File.

WHEN:             Friday, April 14, 2017 at 9:00 AM EDT

WHERE:           Department of Community and Human Services – Multipurpose Room | 2525 Mt. Vernon Ave. | Alexandria, VA 22301