2008 Providence Earned Income Tax Credit Campaign Nets Over $2.8 Million In Refunds For Low Income Taxpayers
June 2008
The results of the John Hope Settlement House led 2008 Earned Income Tax Credit Campaign (EITC) are in! This year was the most successful in the 7 years of the Providence EITC Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Coalition - the oldest such coalition in the state. Over 2,100 low-income tax filers were assisted, exceeding our goal of 2000. These taxpayers claimed a total of over $2.8 million dollars in federal and state tax refunds, an increase of 34% from last year. Refunds included total tax credits of approximately $1.5 million, of which the EITC was about $1 million. Customers also saved a total of over a half million dollars in filing fees and refund anticipation loan interest charges.
John Hope Settlement House is the lead agency for the Providence EITC VITA Coalition which
- offers free, multi-lingual tax preparation services through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program,
- seeks to boost the impact of these tax credits by raising awareness of eligible families, and
- encourages recipients to use their refunds for savings and building assets through ongoing financial education programs.
The eight Providence Coalition VITA sites are
- John Hope Settlement House
- International Institute of Rhode Island
- Providence Spanish 7th Day Adventist Church
- Socio-Economic Development Center for Southeast Asians
- Family Life Center of Rhode Island
- Community Co-op
- Olneyville Housing Corporation (located at the Olneyville Branch of the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Providence) and,
- RI ACORNJohn Hope Kicks-Off EITC Campaign!
Read about the January 2008 Kick-Off of the campaign in the Providence Journal at
http://www.projo.com/business/moneyline/BZ_MoneyLine_January_29_01-29-08_IQ8PTDA_v11.1b9f264.html
