Apr. 28, 2009

This tax season Westchester County helped 5,356 low- and moderate-income taxpayers get refunds totaling more than $5.7 million on their 2008 federal and state income taxes. Through the county Department of Social Services, volunteers provided free tax preparation service at various Westchester locations.

This was the fifth year that the county has provided this service, designed in part to help people obtain the Earned Income Tax Credit. The average refund per resident was more than $1,000.

“This is meaningful money in the pockets of our residents – particularly important when so many people are struggling to pay bills,” said County Executive Andy Spano. Spano thanked the volunteer team of tax preparers for making the program successful.

This year’s total included $2.6 million in refunds from the federal and state EITC programs and another $3.1 million in other refunds. Seventy volunteers helped prepare and file 5,356 returns, of which 1,732 qualified for the EITC, as well as other credits. In contrast, for tax year 2007, the total tax refunds amounted to $4 million.

The federal and state credits are refunds for working people with low or moderate incomes. Together, the credits can be up to $6,512 to families earning less than $42,000. The amount a family gets varies depending on the number of children in the household and the amount of earnings. The EITC can supplement the wages of low- and moderate-income earners and reduce taxes for those who qualify.

The county’s EITC Assistance program is part of a broader Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, a national initiative sponsored by the IRS and the state Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance.

The Westchester initiative is a collaborative effort of the following county departments and community organizations: Office of the County Executive; the departments of Social Services, Consumer Protection, and Senior Programs and Services; AARP, Educational Opportunity Center; Westchester Community Opportunity Program; The United way of Westchester and Putnam Counties; the Inter-faith Council for Action; Urban League of Westchester; ,Westchester One-Stop Employment Center; PACE Law School; Westchester Hispanic Coalition, Westchester Community College The College of Westchester, Community Capital Resources, IRS, The Volunteer Center of United Way and Westchester Residential Opportunities.