Lansing - A new tax assistance program announced on Tuesday will help low-income Lansing area residents file tax returns.
Low-Income Tax Assistance Program volunteers, mostly MSU finance students, will spend time with area residents to make sure their taxes are filed correctly and they receive the proper refund.
The city is working with Capital Area Michigan Works! and volunteers from the financial community, such as Certified Public Accountants, bank representatives, tax professionals and MSU students.
"The MSU extension program helps students get involved with the community, as well as help them in their field of study," said Susan Cocciarelli, specialist at the Center for Urban Affairs at MSU. "They learn by helping Lansing residents file their taxes. Ninety-nine percent of our volunteers are MSU students."
MSU faculty members train interested students. Most are accounting and finance majors, Cocciarelli said.
Professional accountants are also on hand to double-check students' work.
Lansing is looking for financial professionals willing to donate their time to help residents complete their tax returns.
The goal of the program is to make low-income residents aware of the amount of tax refunds available to them and to encourage as many people as possible to file for tax returns.
"Most of the people the program is aimed at use the money to pay bills and fix up their homes," Cocciarelli said. "Money's out there for these people to claim, they just don't realize it."
Less than 30 percent of low-income residents who were eligible for tax refunds filed their taxes last year, she said.
"For most people, the refund they receive is almost 35 percent of their annual income," she said.
By participating in the program, Lansing area residents are able to keep more of their income and work toward a better economy for the city, Lansing City Treasurer Jill Rhode said.
"Each year, millions of dollars in tax incentives for working families go unclaimed simply because people don't know they exist," she said. "Programs like these will help ensure those funds are directed back to those individuals eligible to use them, which only strengthens the local economy."
To volunteer for Lansing's Low-Income Tax Assistance Program, call the city treasurer's office at (517)483-4121.
