Free & Fast Tax Preparation Sites Celebrate Their Opening!

The Campaign for Working Families
opens Free Tax Preparation Sites throughout Philadelphia

The Campaign for Working Families will celebrate the opening of their 17 free tax preparation sites on Tuesday, January 31, at 9:30 a.m., at Congreso de Latinos Unidos, 216 West Somerset, Philadelphia (zip 19133). The event will conclude by 10:30 a.m.

Speakers will include:

-- At 10:00 a.m.: Cynthia Rios, a working mother of two who will bring
her young daughters and talk about using her Earned Income Tax Credit
(EITC) as savings for her first home
-- State Rep. Dwight Evans, who introduced a state EITC and co-chairs the
Governor's Task Force for Working Families
-- Jean Hunt, executive director of The Campaign for Working Families

The 17 free tax sites, all managed by The Campaign for Working Families and located in Philadelphia, will open their doors just in time for tax filers to bring their W-2s (and other documents) for fast, friendly and free tax services. Low-wage families have an alternative to costly commercial tax preparers and those rapid rip-off loans (a.k.a. Refund Anticipation Loans).

The locations of the Campaign's free tax preparation sites and information on EITC eligibility are available now by calling the Campaign's 24-hour bilingual (English-Spanish) information line at 215-686-2599 or by visiting http://www.gpuac.org/.

EITC is a tax benefit for working people who earn low and moderate incomes (less than $37,263 in calendar year 2005). It reduces the tax burden on these workers, supplements their wages, and helps families pay bills or save for the future. EITC refunds can be up to $4,400 per year, based on family size and income.

Philadelphia's Campaign for Working Families is a nonprofit partnership that promotes free filing of the federal EITC/PA TAX BACK, and connects Philadelphia residents to other tax credits, public benefits, and ways to keep and grow their household incomes. Over the past three years, the Campaign has brought more than $45.2 million directly into the homes of low-income working families.

The Campaign is part of a national movement to promote EITC, to provide free or low-cost tax services, and to protect taxpayers from rip-offs, including Refund Anticipation Loans or Rapid Refunds.

An estimated 39,000 eligible households in Philadelphia do not file EITC claims, leaving approximately $66.3 million in unclaimed credits. The Brookings Institution reports that, in Philadelphia, more than 41 percent of EITC filers used commercial tax preparers to obtain Refund Anticipation Loans (RALs). The interest people pay for these loans can be as high as 700 percent - to provide cash only a few days before refunds would have arrived (and sometimes no sooner) anyway if the tax preparer used direct deposit.