United Way of Southwest Michigan gets ready for its Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program in Van Buren County
The whole community benefits when working people can turn their financial tightrope into a stable pathway to success!
Starting in February, United Way of Southwest Michigan will provide free tax preparation for working families with lower to moderate income in Van Buren County. The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program is available to those who make $57,000 or less and need help in preparing their own tax returns.
UWSM offers this service every year, but there will be changes this year due to the pandemic. Volunteer accountants will not be meeting in person, but rather there will be a drop-off/pick-up system at the following sites:
Paw Paw: United Way of Southwest Michigan will be operating out of Freshwater Community Church at 600 E. Michigan Ave. Drop off tax info here from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays & Thursdays in February & March. Pickup completed taxes and original paperwork the following week.
South Haven: Senior Services, 1635 76th St. Appointment only—call 269.637.3607.
Masks are required and all social distancing guidelines must be followed when visiting these sites.
Call 269.657.2410 with tax questions.
For more information about how to participate in VITA, visit uwsm.org.
Vera Sebree, Director of Programs at United Way of Southwest Michigan, has been spearheading the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program in Van Buren County for 13 years. She and volunteer accountants have helped scores of people in need prepare their tax returns, making sure they claim the Earned Income Tax Credit that is vital to working families making ends meet. It is one of the most important services United Way provides to the community because of the impact of this credit.
Sebree sees first-hand that working people in our community need these funds to fix cars, do necessary home repair, or just plain catch up on the bills. One client, she says, was finally able to pay for cataract surgery with the refund she received, so now the woman can see. “The whole community benefits when working people can turn their financial tightrope into a stable pathway to success,” Sebree says.
The average refund for taxpayers claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit is $2,450. In 2019, thousands of VITA volunteers prepared millions of tax returns nationwide, resulting in more than $1.8 billion returning to local communities. For every $1 brought into a community through the EITC, $1.67 is generated in new economic activity.
According to United Way’s most recent report on our ALICE population (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed), 43 percent of Michigan families struggle to pay for their basic needs. The small increase in income that comes from the Earned Income Tax Credit makes an enormous difference in enabling ALICE households to afford essential items. Lower- to moderate-income families see a disproportionately larger portion of their income consumed by sales taxes and payroll taxes, and the Earned Income Tax Credit makes the tax code fairer, enabling them to eventually break out of the cycle of poverty.