[Archived] City of Alexandria Offers Free Tax Assistance To Low-Income Residents

City Press Release


	For Immediate Release	For More Information, Contact
	February 9, 2006 PIO# 036-06/rdo	Steven J. Mason, Public Information Officer, or Raynard Owens, Communications Officer, at 703.838.4300 Raynard Owens, Communications Officer, at 703.838.4300

City of Alexandria Offers Free Tax Assistance To Low-Income Residents

The City of Alexandria will offer a series of tax assistance sessions to help low-income residents with completing their 2005 federal and state income tax forms. The free service will be available to eligible residents in the lobby of the City’s Department of Human Services, 2525 Mount Vernon Ave. The sessions will be conducted by volunteers from Community Tax Aid, Inc. (CTA) –an organization with extensive tax preparation expertise– and take place every Wednesday from 6:30 to 8 pm and Saturday from 9 am to noon, beginning Feb. 8 through April 15. There will be no tax session offered on Saturday, March 11.

Individuals with incomes up to $25,000 are eligible to receive assistance. Families with incomes up to $35,000, or greater for larger families, are also eligible. Information and verification to bring to the sessions must include a picture identification card, W-2 forms and other income records; records and receipts of expenses for childcare, education, or any additional income; social security numbers or individual taxpayer identification numbers for all family members; and a copy of last year’s tax return, if possible. Individuals can also receive help in preparing prior year tax returns for filing.

Service will be provided on a first-come, first-serve basis. Spanish-speaking volunteers will be on site to provide assistance. Electronic filing will be available to help taxpayers receive their refunds sooner.

The Northern Virginia Urban League will present CreditSmart workshops at most of the Wednesday evening sessions. The CreditSmart workshops will provide participants with information about how they can improve their credit worthiness, manage money, and set practical financial goals.

CTA is an all-volunteer, not-for-profit organization of accountants and lawyers that provides expert help to taxpayers in Alexandria and other areas in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. The organization was founded in 1987.

For more information on the tax preparation sessions, call Suzanne Kratzok, Coordinator of Community Resources, for the City’s Department of Human Services, at 703.838.0768.

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