Free Tax Services
	Beginning today, the Ithaca College Volunteer Income Tax Assistance team will offer free tax services to all members of the Ithaca College community. That’s right. Free. What’s more, VITA site coordinator Alan Cohen, a member of the business school faculty, says the program’s student volunteers can’t wait to get to work. "They want to meet people and talk about real things. They’re not only studying accounting, they’re practicing it." VITA team members comprise senior accounting majors, each of whom has completed a senior-level federal income tax course that incorporates VITA training materials provided by the Internal Revenue Service. Each student has also passed a required exam to earn VITA program certification. Volunteers will give advice and prepare returns, and can also provide assistance and return preparation for prior-year federal income tax returns. There are no income limitations for the on-campus program. "What we stress is ethics, confidentiality, and quality control," says Cohen. "It’s important for people to understand that these aren’t kids, these are professionals. They’ll be working in professional settings next year, and this offers a natural bridge for them." Using high-end tax software packages like Taxwise and Intuit-Pro Series, a VITA team of three — a preparer and two reviewers — will work with each client. Two more students will review each return at an administrative level, and the client will be back within a week for an exit interview and an electronic filing of the return. The tax services are available to anyone in the Ithaca College community, but Cohen says the team is hoping to work closely with staff members, many of whom represent single or dual-income families paying as much as $200 for tax preparation services. "We can do the returns for free, and do them correctly and efficiently," he says. The VITA team will also be working as community volunteers out of the Women’s Community Building downtown. A group of three students will staff the building for six to eight hours, offering free tax services to local residents with a demonstrated financial need. "We’re very excited about this program, too, because it directly impacts the community," says Cohen, who is the downtown program’s site coordinator. VITA program volunteers also plan to conduct workshops throughout the tax season. The first, designed to assist in 1997 tax preparation and to review tax law changes for 1998, was held January 31 and sponsored by the Faculty Development Committee. College community members who want tax help or advice can set up an appointment by calling the VITA program office at 274-3949, or by sending e-mail to ACohen@ithaca.edu. Now in its 28th year, the VITA program included more than 50,000 volunteers in 1996 and assisted nearly 1.8 million taxpayers at over 8,300 sites.