|
Press Release
The START Center to be honored by IRS
WHEN: Thursday, June 29, 2006 @ 6:00 PM
WHERE: Cameron Works Board of Directors Meeting
425 East Levee, Brownsville
The START Center will be honored at the Cameron Works Board and according to Sally Sassen, IRS Stakeholder Partnerships,
Education and Communication Spokesperson, "had a tremendous first year success in the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program,
and went above and beyond to make things work at their site. They have done an outstanding job and we need to recognize that.
Even though this was their first year, they were able to provide help to over 200 families, and generated EITC in excess of
$175,000 with the average refund for the site was $1,852."
The goals of Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program are:
- INFORMATION : Inform the citizens of Cameron County about the availability of Federal tax
benefits, such as the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), that may be available. The EITC is a credit of up to $4400 for
families making less than $37,000 per year. IRS estimates that 20% of the families qualified for EITC are not claiming
it. In 2004 in Cameron County, 58,535 returns claimed the credit totaling more than $132 million. However, IRS
estimates that at least $25 million was unclaimed by qualified families.
- FREE TAX HELP : Provide free tax help for Cameron County residents by training volunteers who will
prepare and electronically file the tax returns for qualified families.
- FINANCIAL LITERACY/EDUCATION : Provide education for families that will enable them to have tools
and information that can leverage Federal tax credits such as EITC to become home-owners, build college funds, or take other
long-term actions that can provide benefits for years to come.
The START Center along with other Cameron County partners in the Brownsville Economic Opportunities Coalition which
made up of the following agencies: United Way of Southern Cameron County, University of Texas-Texas
Southmost College (UTB-TSC), Public Utilities Board of Brownsville, Community Development Corporation, Cameron Works Inc and the
Internal Revenue Service , was able to help nearly 1,200 clients and get refunds of over $1.6 million
with $840 thousand in EITC benefits returned to the community.
The coalition sponsored three sites in Brownsville, plus a mobile site, and had more than 50 volunteers. United Way planned and implemented the publicity for the sites, using funds provided through a grant provided by Cameron Works.
Left to Right:
Ron Rogers, START Center, President
Rhoda Reyes. START Center, Director
Veronica Flores, START Center Finance Director
Michelle Brown, START Center Administrative Assistant
Sally Sassen, Internal Revenue Service, Senior Tax Specialist
IRS Stakeholder Partnerships, Education and Communication
|
