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Home > Archive > Mar 27, 2008

By Dixie Weekly News
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance will be available free of charge to low-income earners on Friday, March 28, and Saturday, March 29, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Bloomington Wal-Mart.
VITA volunteers, all trained and tested in tax law and preparing individual tax returns, will take part in this blitz campaign to educate and assist many low-income singles and families earning less than $40,000 in meeting the April 15 deadline for filing tax returns. Local residents will also receive information on how they might qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit and the economic stimulus payments.
To qualify for the federal Earned Income Tax Credit, or EITC – which could be as much as $4,700 even if no taxes are owed, total household income must be less than $40,000. There are many local residents who are unaware of the EITC yet may be eligible. The EITC is a refundable tax credit that primarily supplements the income of single parents and couples with qualifying children. For tax year 2007, the maximum credit for parent(s) with one qualifying child is $2,853. The maximum credit for parent(s) with two or more qualifying children is $4,716. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, and siblings can also claim a qualifying child provided the child lived in the household at least six months during the tax year. There is also a more modest EITC for persons and couples without children, which reaches a maximum of $428.
Many St. George area residents may still not know they are eligible to receive a $300 to $600 economic stimulus payment – commonly referred to as a rebate – from the federal government this year.
Those who are eligible include certain retirees, disabled vets and low-wage workers who normally don’t file a tax return. However, to get the economic stimulus payment, low-income individuals must file a simple 2007 federal income tax return showing at least $3,000 in qualifying income. If the IRS does not receive a tax return, no economic stimulus payment can be made. 
Those who have at least $3,000 from wages or certain benefits from Social Security, Railroad Retirement and Veterans Affairs may be eligible for the economic stimulus payment, but they need to file a return.
For more information or to schedule an appointment with a VITA volunteer at the Bloomington Wal-Mart, call 2-1-1 (the non-emergency number to call when you don’t know who to call).

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