Is There An Upside To Taxes?
United Way leverages the heck out of the Free Tax Preparation Campaign. It’s like magic. We turn $500,000, given by people like you and generous companies, into more than $20 million dollars in a matter of four months. Tell me that’s not the best return on investment ever?
The investment by United Way mobilizes hundreds of volunteers who help working families prepare their taxes for free, and secure the credits and deductions they qualify for, like the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). The EITC can be worth thousands of dollars, and is widely seen as the nation’s best anti-poverty tool. Without help, many low-income filers either miss getting the full credit or lose a large portion of the fees to professional tax preparers.
Sure, the investment results for our community are staggering, but what does that really mean for people and their families? Hear some examples from clients this year:
“I am retired. My apartment rent has increased 25% in the last year and my tax refund will go into my savings so that I can use it for moving expenses when I can no longer afford the rent increases.”—71-year-old female
“Allowed me to save money, by not having to pay a fee. More for food.”—38-year-old male
“Thanks to your services I was able to find out I was actually getting money, instead of paying money, like the online free tax software told me.”—27-year-old female
With tax season ending today, full results aren’t ready yet—but we already know we’ve helped over 17,000 people and brought more than $24 million back to the community. And volunteers are still on the job at all 25 sites until Saturday, April 18!
Want to help out next year? Sign-up to be notified as soon as we open volunteer registration so you can help out families and people who need it most!
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