Income Tax Assistance program reaches out to Duke and Durham
Over 30 Duke Law students, staff and faculty members will share their tax preparation expertise with low-income taxpayers on campus and across Durham during the 2004 tax season. Second-year student Janna Lewis is spearheading the revitalization of the Law School's Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program (VITA), a long-standing community service project that had languished in recent years. Thanks to Janna's efforts, hundreds of low-income workers at Duke and in the neighborhoods surrounding campus will receive free tax preparation assistance, maximize their tax credits and refunds, and avoid paying excessive fees and interest charges to for-profit tax preparation companies. Students will also provide information sessions so that the community can learn about EITC and other tax credits.
"Janna has thrown her extraordinary energy and passion into this project, and is working hard to be sure that not only are many students participating, but also that the services get out into the community where they are needed the most," said Associate Dean for Public Interest and Pro Bono Carol Spruill. "Janna's efforts are a prime example of the leadership being shown by Duke Law students in initiatives to provide law-related services to the community."
VITA volunteers receive two days of tax preparation training from the Internal Revenue Service so that they are qualified to prepare and file tax returns electronically, which allows taxpayers to receive their refunds in less than a week. Once trained, participants will be experts in the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), an often overlooked benefit for low-income taxpayers. The EITC can provide up to several thousand dollars of tax credits and refunds to taxpayers earning up to $34,000, meaning that several thousand Duke employees are eligible to benefit from Duke Law's VITA program. All VITA volunteers pledge to commit at least eight hours of tax preparation services, but most students interested in the program have already indicated a desire to serve as many clients as possible.
Working with Chris McLaughlin, a 1996 graduate of Duke Law who currently serves as the School's Director of Academic Advising, Janna has joined forces with the Durham Chamber of Commerce to recruit volunteers from across the city and to provide Law School students the opportunity to assist other Durham VITA programs. Janna has recruited more than eleven law students from North Carolina Central University who will join in the training and the tax preparation sessions, plus volunteers Local organizations such as the Triangle Residential Options for Substance Abusers (TROSA). Chris and Janna have also worked closely with Duke University Human Resources and with the Duke University Federal Credit Union to attract clients and schedule tax preparation sessions at convenient times and locations for the University's housekeeping and food services staffs. The Duke Law VITA volunteers plan to reach out beyond the University's walls to the surrounding neighborhoods by offering free tax return preparation sessions at local elementary schools and community centers.
"Our VITA program will truly be a community-wide effort, "observed McLaughlin." Students, staff and faculty from Duke Law are spearheading the program, but we've attracted volunteers from a number of schools and organizations so that we can provide valuable services to our neighbors throughout the city of Durham. This is town-and-gown cooperation at its best."
For more information about how you can receive assistance from Duke Law VITA, or how you might become involved as a volunteer, please contact Janna Lewis at janna.lewis@law.duke.edu or Chris McLaughlin at 613-7247.