ACORN Tax Preparation Centers in Hempstead, Central Islip and 90 Cities Nationwide
In association with the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, ACORN is operating free tax preparation centers for low- and moderate-income taxpayers in Nassau and Suffolk Counties this tax season. A tax season opening event to celebrate the occasion will be held January 18th, 11:45 AM, LI ACORN office, 91 N. Franklin, Rm., 209, Hempstead. The event will be attended by local elected officials, representatives of LIPA and several banks, health insurance and food stamp enrollers and tax filers.
The ACORN Tax Preparation Center in Hempstead is one of 90 ACORN free tax preparation centers nationwide.
ACORN’s free service will help taxpayers who cannot afford to have their returns prepared through traditional paid preparers. The ACORN Free Tax Preparation Center can electronically file current year taxes and also provide fast refunds for those taxpayers who would like their refunds direct-deposited into their bank account, usually in as few as 10 days. In addition, Citibank, Bethpage Federal Credit Union and Washington Mutual will be on site to allow people to sign up for bank accounts. Food stamp and health insurance enrollers will also be on site.
The Hempstead center’s normal hours of operation will be Monday, Wednesday, Friday from 4-9PM and Saturday from 10AM-4PM through the end of the tax season. In Suffolk County, the ACORN Tax Center will be open on Tuesday and Thursday nights starting in mid-February at Touro College in Central Islip.
“Across the county, ACORN will work to ensure that our lowest paid workers are getting the benefits they have earned,” said ACORN National President Maude Hurd. “We are excited to be working with the IRS VITA program.”
Hurd said that ACORN will particularly focus its efforts on making sure that more eligible families are claiming their Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), which can be up to $4500 in tax credits each tax year. “The EITC is the federal government’s most successful antipoverty program,” she said. “Unfortunately, almost a quarter of all EITC eligible families do not claim their credit every year, amounting to more than 7 million families who could be missing out on over $12 billion in tax benefits. We are out to change that.”
The ACORN Free Tax Preparation Centers will spread the word about EITC through door-to-door outreach in low- and moderate-income communities across the country.
Nationally, ACORN helped its tax center clients claim over $17 million in EITC tax credits last year, as well as over $36 million in total refund dollars.
“The Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) is doing its part to help get the word out,” said LIPA Chairman Richard M. Kessel. “LIPA customers can find information regarding the ACORN Program at all eleven of LIPA’s Customer Service Centers in Nassau and Suffolk Counties. LIPA is proud to support this vital program for Long Island’s taxpayers,”
Ron Smith, Chief of Volunteer and Community Partnerships for the IRS SPEC program praised the pilot effort, saying “ACORN has been a valuable partner in mobilizing its army in the community for effective grassroots ‘word of mouth’ campaigns in several cities, and an outstanding partner in helping the VITA program impact the lives of our shared constituents in the cities they have been active.” Smith attributes ACORN’s success largely to its door-to-door operations that reach people in low-income and immigrant communities that have not been reached as effectively any
other way.
For more information about the free tax preparation center, please call 516-481-6769. General information about ACORN’s Free Tax Preparation Centers nationwide is available at www.taxprep.acorn.org.
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ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, is the nation’s largest community organization of low- and moderate-income families, with over 250,000 member families organized into 850 neighborhood chapters in 103 cities across the country. Since 1970 ACORN has taken action and won victories on issues of concern to our members. Our priorities include: better housing for first time homebuyers and tenants, living wages for low-wage workers, more
investment in our communities from banks and governments, and better public schools. We achieve these goals by building community organizations that have the power to win changes — through direct action, negotiation, legislation, and voter participation.
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ACORN
91 N. Franklin, Rm. 209
Hempstead, NY 11550
Contact: (516) 481-6769 Extention 0
ACORN Tax Preparation Center
Thursday, January 18th, 2007 11:45 AM
91 N. Franklin, Rm 209, Hempstead, NY
