The students in Mary O’Keeffe’s economics course on income tax policy and practice are wrapping up six weeks of learning and service – and they’ve hit a milestone in a growing College program that continues to reap dividends for all involved.
Eight seniors have been spending their evenings helping working families and senior citizens file their tax returns free of charge through the state Volunteer Income Tax Assistant Program (VITA).
Since its launch in 2005, the VITA program at Union has secured some $1.4 million in cumulative tax refunds for local residents.
“This year’s students are a great group. They’re building on the tremendous work and good will built up by three previous years’ teams of VITA students,” said O’Keeffe, who teaches the course that includes running the VITA site at the Kenney Community Center.
“This is much more than a class – it’s a way of giving back to the Schenectady community,” said student Ashley Braniecki. “Because the majority of our clients have very low incomes, they are eligible for an array of credits, and their tax refunds are usually very large. Most clients are very surprised and full of gratitude.”
“It’s been a fantastic experience,” said Steve Walker. “It’s been incredible to have the chance to apply what we learn in class to help the clients. Many of them depend on our work to get through the year, so we have to make sure we take care of everything well. It’s a very satisfying job.”
In addition to Braniecki and Walker, those involved this year include Fengguan Chen, Allison Dantus, Sarah Ehle, Thomas Haynes, Christopher Walkley and Alexander Zani. All passed the Intermediate Level in the IRS Basic Certification Exam when the VITA site opened its doors at the end of January, one of the first in the county to kick off the 2008 season.
This winter, the students e-filed 180 tax returns, securing roughly $500,000 in federal and New York state refunds for their clients while also saving them tens of thousands of dollars in preparer fees.
Helping coordinate the program is Angela Blair, assistant director for community outreach at the Kenney Center. And a number of former students have stayed in contact with the program, offering advice and encouragement to their successors.
The Union VITA site partners with the IRS, Schenectady County Department of Social Services, Schenectady County United Way and state Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance. Last spring, the Schenectady County Legislature issued a special resolution honoring VITA’s efforts.
For Union’s neighbors, it all adds up. Recounting stories of high fees and questionable advice from paid preparers, they’re sold on VITA.
“People refer their friends,” O’Keeffe said. “We were swamped this season, and we have already gotten many calls from satisfied customers requesting appointments to come in for their 2008 taxes.”