Editor: Keith Davis Writers: Dave Maley Publisher: Office of Public Information Volume 22, No.18  July 10, 2000

IRS Awards Grant for Low-Income Tax Clinic Ithaca College has received a $57,000 grant from the Internal Revenue Service to establish central New York’s first clinic to serve low-income and non-English-speaking taxpayers. Supported by matching funds from the College, the clinic will assist individuals within a 50-mile radius of Ithaca. It will provide those who qualify for the free service with information about their tax rights and represent them in tax-related matters with federal and state tax authorities. "These clinics fill a critical need," says IRS commissioner Charles O. Rossotti. "They reach out to help people who frequently have nowhere else to turn for professional assistance on tax matters." The federal program, which was passed into law in 1998, allows the IRS to award organizations annual matching grants of up to $100,000. Grants are awarded on a variety of factors, including the clinic program’s quality of service, the number of low-income taxpayers served, and the number of people in the clinic’s service area who speak English as a second language. Most of the 70 grant recipients for this fiscal year are educational institutions and nonprofit agencies. "According to federal law, any person who falls below the poverty income ceiling and has any interaction with the Internal Revenue Service, whether it be an audit or a collection proceeding or whatever, qualifies for free advocacy from a low-income tax clinic," says Alan H. Cohen (left), associate professor of accounting and clinic director. "What this grant does is give Ithaca College a way to go out into the community and use our expertise to help, through the vehicle of a qualified government program." Cohen, who has 25 years of experience as a certified public accountant, is currently visiting ESL programs in the community, making contacts, and establishing advocacy activities. The clinic does not offer tax-preparation services, only assistance with compliance, audit, and collection issues for qualified taxpayers. When classes at Ithaca College start in late August, tax advocacy will be provided by senior-level accounting and finance majors under Cohen’s direct supervision. "Participating in the clinics," he says, "is a good way for someone studying accounting or finance to not only get grounded in the theory of tax advising but to actually get firsthand experience doing it." For more information, call the low-income tax clinic at 274-3949. Photo by Keith Davis

ITHACA | Back Issues | Table of Contents | NEWS Home | Publication Schedule | Letter to the Editor Created by Andrejs Ozolins. Updated 11.July. 2000