PRESS RELEASE
COMMUNITY TAX AID OF BOSTON PROVIDES FREE TAX ASSISTANCE FOR 27th YEAR
Starting February 4, for the 27th year, Community Tax Aid of Boston (CTA) will serve Boston’s low-income population with free tax preparation services at 7 locations around the city. CTA co-president Jennifer Goldsmith describes the services provided; “We aim to assist as many people as possible in benefiting from the tax law. Particularly we aim to help the working poor in tapping into the tax credit programs designed to help them.”

Over the past 27 years, hundreds of CTA volunteers have assisted thousands of taxpayers to make sense of their tax needs. Primarily located in community centers, and providing service on evenings and weekends, CTA of Boston has become a fixture in many of the neighborhoods it serves.  This year, CTA will open shop during the first week of February and provides services through March 15, assisting many in tapping into unexpected resources through such programs as the Earned Income Tax Credit, No Tax status, child care credit/deduction and credit for the elderly. Co-founder Rick Siegrist has been involved the program from its inception when he and a group of his classmates at Harvard Business School started the non-profit organization.  In the years since, similar programs have been established in other cities by alumni of CTA.

Training for CTA volunteers is led by Northeastern University Tax Professor Timothy Rupert. He has developed a three-hour intensive course for new and returning volunteers designed to meet the specific tax needs of the population served by CTA. Volunteers do not need to have backgrounds in taxation, just a willingness to commit to volunteering weekly in the program and to attend the training. Managers staff each site and address the tough questions that arise. “Probably 95% of the taxes we prepare are fairly predictable, yet lack of familiarity with the forms and language barriers make them difficult for our clients to navigate,” says co-president Jennifer Goldsmith.

To be eligible for services individuals need to have incomes below $30,000 and families have incomes below $40,000.  Clients bring W-2’s, bank statements and prior year taxes, if available. Clients are served at sites on a first come, first serve basis.

Tax preparation sites are in neighborhoods throughout Boston including Allston, Brighton, Charlestown, Dorchester, Hyde Park, Roxbury, and the South End. For more information on volunteering or on free tax preparation, please email us at ctaboston@accountant.com or visit our website at www.ctaboston.org.