Students prepare income tax returns, achieve refunds for area residents
Participants in this year’s IRA Volunteer Tax Assistance Program included (front row from left): Alexis Witkowski, Benjamin Tarnowski, Kaylei Russell, Dr. Linda Hall and Emily Kasperek; (back row): Carley McNamara, Papa Blankson, Christie Fils-Aime, Morgan Simons, Elizabeth Rehrauer, Hanna Schultheis and Lydia Wesley (photo by Elizabeth Hanson).
Student volunteers tallied impressive numbers at this year’s IRS Volunteer Tax Assistance Program. Federal and state tax returns Fredonia students filed for area residents totaled 575, representing a hefty bump of 20 percent from the prior year. Tax refunds due reached nearly $970,000.
Thirty-eight students majoring in Accounting or Public Accountancy chalked up more than 1,400 hours in the program that provides free income tax preparation services for low to moderate income level individuals of the community from January through April. Each student completes an IRS-administered preparer certification exam.
“This program takes a lot of planning and preparation, most of which is carried out by our student program coordinators,” said accounting Professor Linda Hall. Planning starts in early fall and leads to a software training session for volunteers in December.
Serving as coordinators this year, the 39th year Fredonia students have provided the service, were Tylar Marco, Kaylei Russell, Scott Boehnke, Matthew Yost-Lipschitz, Brittany Tuzzo and Benjamin Tarnowski.
Coordinators recruit volunteers, conduct volunteer training, perfect the volunteer sites and assure that taxpayers are served efficiently and professionally. With assistance from the Fredonia Technology Incubator and the School of Business staff, volunteer sites were up and functional on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
