THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, April 6, 1996 TAG: 9604060278
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MATTHEW BOWERS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 67 lines
Imagine filling out your tax returns. Now imagine doing it on a Saturday - every Saturday, in fact, from March 2 through April 13.
That's sort of what it's been like for several Norfolk State University accounting students. About eight of them have been donating their Saturdays, including today, to doing taxes free for low- and moderate-income folks seeking help before the April 15 deadline.
It's the second year in Norfolk for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program, or VITA, a collaborative effort of the Division of Social Services and Norfolk State's chapter of the National Association of Black Accountants. The national group has sponsored the project around the country for years.
``We haven't pleased everybody,'' said Annette E. Larkin, an NSU junior from Norfolk and president of the local NABA chapter.
``Some people still owed a lot of money. They were kind of disappointed.''
Maybe not as disappointed as they might have been. The free tax-preparation service also serves as an anti-poverty program. The tax preparers know to look for eligibility for the earned-income tax credit, which gives refunds to workers whose pay falls below certain amounts.
The word on the credit is getting out, helped by an Internal Revenue Service education campaign aimed at the public, employers and social workers, and more people are taking advantage of it, said Beverly W. Brown, benefit programs manager for Social Services. For a family with two children making less than $26,673, it can mean a refund of up to $3,110.
``It seemed appropriate for us to share this good news with our customers, because often they fall within this category,'' Brown said.
``It's just a great benefit. Because we find that a lot of people cycle on and off welfare. They're just making it, but a little something comes along and knocks them for a loop.''
The accounting students undergo a one-day training session, and handle only relatively simple federal and state returns. So far, only one older woman with complicated pension income had to be referred elsewhere, Larkin said.
The students have completed six or seven returns each Saturday, giving them some exposure to the tax work they'll likely engage in after graduation. Simple returns can take as little as 10 minutes to complete; Larkin's most complicated return took 45 minutes.
Some of the clients - workers, homeowners, college students - come in without a clue. Others just want a little help, or don't feel like doing the returns themselves. And others - including a woman who had hers prepared by someone else - come looking for reassurance that they were done correctly. Hers was, but the students found out only after completely redoing them.
And even though it's about taxes, some people manage to leave happy. Boxes were filled out wrong, numbers were transposed, and they discover that they're actually getting money back instead of having to pay.
Larkin has yet to find out how she'll fare this year - she hasn't done her own returns, little more than a week before they're due.
``I'm going to get to them,'' she said. ``When I get home Saturday, I don't feel like doing mine.'' ILLUSTRATION: Graphic
DETAILS
The free tax-preparation service will be at the Brambleton branch
of the public library at 961 Park Ave. today from 10 a.m. to 4p.m.
The final session will be April 13 at the Huntersville Multi-Service
Center at 830 Goff St. from 10 a.m. to 3p.m.
by CNB