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Thousands
of Philadelphia families file their taxes FAST and FREE!
Where to
go in our community
PHILADELPHIA,
February 17, 2006- Since the launch of this tax season’s campaign to promote
the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), thousands of Philadelphia
families are taking advantage of fast and free tax filing services
offered by The Campaign for Working Families. The tax preparation
service offers low and moderate-income families an alternative
to costly commercial tax preparers, Refund Anticipation Loans and
other predatory lending practices.
There are 17 free tax-filing
sites in Philadelphia. Click here for the full list.
A list
of what documents to bring with you is available by clicking here.
Over
the past three years, The Campaign for Working Families has brought
more than $45.2 million directly into the homes of low-wage families. The federal
EITC is a tax benefit for working people who earned less than $37,263
in calendar year 2005. EITC refunds can be up to $4,400 per
year, based on family size and income.
An
estimated 39,000 eligible households in Philadelphia do not file
EITC claims, leaving approximately $66.3 million in unclaimed
credits. The Brookings Institution reports that, in Philadelphia,
more than 41 percent of EITC filers used commercial tax preparers
to obtain Refund Anticipation Loans (RALs). The interest people
pay for these loans can be as high as 700 percent – to
provide cash only a few days before refunds would have arrived
(and sometimes no sooner) anyway if the tax preparer used direct
deposit.
Philadelphia's Campaign
for Working Families is a nonprofit partnership that promotes free
filing of the federal EITC/PA TAX BACK, and connects Philadelphia
residents to other tax credits, public benefits, and ways to keep
and grow their household incomes. The Campaign is part of a national
movement to promote EITC, to provide free or low cost tax services,
and to protect taxpayers from rip-offs, including Refund Anticipation
Loans or Rapid Refunds.
The Campaign for Working
Families is managed by the Greater Philadelphia Urban Affairs Coalition
(GPUAC). It works with a partnership that includes: Ceiba, City
of Philadelphia: Free Library and Mayor's Office of Consumer Affairs,
Community Legal Services, Consumer Credit Counseling Services of
the Delaware Valley, District 1199c, Greater Philadelphia Coalition
Against Hunger, the Internal Revenue Service, PathWays PA, Philadelphia
Citizens for Children and Youth, Philadelphia Council AFL-CIO,
Philadelphia County Assistance Office, The Philadelphia Workforce
Development Corporation, The Reinvestment Fund, Transitional Work
Corporation, and the United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania.
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