Asian Journal- The Filipino-American Community Newspaper

Filipinos in Las Vegas who earned less than $49,000 last year may be able to have tax professionals prepare and file their 2009 taxes for free.

At the Voluntary Income Tax Assistance (VITA) site at Seafood City, tax professionals offer tax preparation services without charging the typical professional fee that reach as high as $200.

"Over 80% of those we have helped are Filipinos and they are very grateful," site coordinator Cynthia Deriquito said in a telephone interview.

She added that the site also welcomes any individual who needs help in filing their tax return as long as they earned less than the amount set by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) this year. Married couples who are filing jointly need to have a combined income which is less than the said amount.

VITA is a program designed by the IRS and first implemented thirty-seven years ago to assist low to moderate-income families. Sites, which are usually located in community centers, also target people with disabilities as well as non-English speaking individuals.

The VITA site at Seafood City is the only one sponsored by the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA).

NaFFAA is a non-partisan, non-profit national affiliation of more than five hundred Filipino-American institutions, with a core mission is of empowering Filipinos in the US. The VITA site at Seafood City is one of their projects. It is the second year that the organization sponsored a VITA site at this location.

Those who are interested in availing of the site’s free service should bring their state issued driver’s license or photo ID, social security card, social security cards of their dependents, interest income statements, W2s, receipt for charitable contributions, as well as gambling winnings.

Aside from these, they should also bring forms 1099 and 1098, as well as 2008 tax returns. These documents should be presented to the VITA site at Seafood City. The site will offer services every Saturday from 9:00am to 1:00pm until April 10, or five days before the tax filing deadline.

Derequito said majority of the people who availed of their services were "repeat clients". "This means they trust the system, and they trust the tax preparers (in this site) who help them," she said.

Volunteers are required to study voluminous reading materials before they take the mandatory IRS online certification test. Once certified by the IRS, these volunteers can start preparing taxes at VITA sites.

Aside from these, Derequito said site coordinators like her receive additional training to that touches on customer service and responding to various concerns by the public.

This year, Derequito said her team is trained to answer queries on changes in tax laws and credits that people can avail of this year. These include the decrease in taxable income of those with children as well as the "Making Work Pay Tax Credit."

( www.asianjournal.com )

( Published MArch 18, 2010 in Asian Journal Las Vegas p. A1 )