By TIM DAVIS
Star-Tribune Editor | Posted: Tuesday, January 10, 2012 9:23 pm
Pittsylvania County Community Action Agency Inc. is a key partner in the BEST Initiative, which is putting more money in the pockets of the working poor and boosting the region's economy.
To help working families claim tax credits, BEST - Building Economic Success Together - participates in the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, which offers free tax preparation to low- to moderate-income people, generally those earning less than $50,000 a year.
Twenty-five volunteers were trained and certified in basic tax preparation and will begin preparing tax returns on Jan. 17 at six sites in Danville and Pittsylvania County.
Volunteer tax preparation sites in Danville include Southside Community Action in Piney Forest Shopping Center, United Way on Craghead Street, and Ballou Recreation Center on West Main Street.
Tax preparation sites also include PCCA's main office and Telamon Corp. on North Main Street in Chatham and Cherrystone Missionary Baptist Association on Tom Fork Road in Ringgold.
Appointments are being accepted now and may be made by calling coordinator Gaynell Merricks at 793-5627.
For appointments at PCCA's main office, call 432-8250, and for Telamon call (434) 688-4640.
PCCA also plans to hold mobile tax preparation sites at key locations throughout the city and county, said Merricks.
Funded with a grant from Danville Regional Foundation, BEST was created to promote family self-sufficiency in Danville, Pittsylvania County, and Caswell County, N.C.
Other partners include United Way of Danville-Pittsylvania County, Virginia Legal Aid Society and Caswell County Senior Center.
The program also receives funding from the Internal Revenue Service and Virginia Community Action Partnership.
Last year, volunteers prepared about 1,300 federal tax returns - a savings of $100 each to residents - and helped claim more than $1.6 million in refunds.
BEST helps residents claim the Earned Income Tax Credit, which was approved by Congress in 1975 and offers up to $5,751 for families with three or more qualifying children.
The tax credit targets the "working poor" - workers with one or more children at home who earn less than $49,078 (married filing jointly) and those with no children with income below $18,740 for married couples or $13,660 for single workers.
Families with children also may qualify for additional child tax credits
According to Merricks, even workers who don't have federal taxes withheld from their paychecks can qualify for an Earned Income Credit Tax refund.
To receive a refund, however, workers must file a federal tax return.
BEST helped residents claim more than $600,000 in Earned Income Credit Tax refunds in 2011.
Refunds are based on income and family size, and don't affect Medicaid, Social Security, food stamps or federal housing assistance, Merricks said.
The goal of the tax credit is to reduce the tax burden on lower income workers, supplement their wages and encourage greater participation in the workforce, the coordinator said.
The free tax preparation program ends April 17.
For more information about tax credits or free tax help, contact Gaynell Merricks at 793-5627 or by email at [email protected].
434-432-2791