Help families get tax breaks

Alestle Staff Report

Volunteers are needed for the Granite City office of the Tax Counseling Project, which offers free and confidential tax preparation for low-income families and individuals from Jan. 27 to April 15.

The volunteers will help low-income workers claim tax credits such as the Earned Income Tax Credit and college tuition and child credits.

The EITC is a federal income tax benefit designed to assist working families with two or more children who earn incomes up to $31,152, families with one child who earn up to $27,413, and individuals who earn up to $10,380.

According to Larry Garner, downstate coordinator for the Tax Counseling project, volunteers will be trained and assisted at all times by experienced tax preparers and tax attorneys.

"Tax preparation experience is useful but not necessary," Garner said.

After training, volunteers will work with clients at 21 sites throughout Illinois. The Granite City site is at Southwestern Illinois College. It will be open from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays.

According to a Tax Counseling Project press release, 370 volunteers at all 21 sites prepared 16,540 federal and state income tax returns for 8,800 filers during last year's tax season. Ninety-three percent of the federal returns claimed refunds.

For more information, call Garner at (217) 753-3272.