The St. Cloud Area Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)/Tax Assistance Coalition will provide free volunteer income tax return preparation for low-income wage earners beginning the last week of January. Individuals and families whose income is less than $35,000 are eligible for free tax assistance, and may be eligible for free money via the Federal Earned Income Tax Credit and the Minnesota Working Families Credit. Three years ago, the St. Cloud Salvation Army began doing tax returns for low-income families with the assistance of AccountAbility Minnesota, and the Internal Revenue Service. Beginning in 2004, the St. Cloud Area EITC/Tax Assistance Coalition teams up with these and other private and public agencies to expand to three new sites: the Tri-County Action Program (Tri-CAP), Catholic Charities and Waite Park City Hall. The St. Cloud Area EITC/Tax Assistance Coalition hopes to increase understanding about tax credits and refunds available to low-income wage earners. Each year it is estimated that nearly 20 percent of people eligible for the earned income tax credit fail to claim it. In the St. Cloud area it is estimated that another 2,000 eligible taxpayers could potentially claim $1.4 million in federal refunds. The St. Cloud Area EITC/Tax Assistance Coalition will kick off the 2004 tax season with a press conference Saturday, Jan. 31, at Waite Park City Hall, 19 Thirteenth Ave. N. The press conference is scheduled to run from 8-8:30 a.m. and will be held in the council chambers. Introductions will be done by Major LaVonne Fones of the St. Cloud Salvation Army. The Honorable Carla Schaefer, Mayor of Waite Park, and JeriAnne Collins, Financial Counselor with Tri-CAP, will also speak. Fones will speak to close the press conference.
