MAYOR GRAHAM RICHARD
There are many Fort Wayne residents who go to work every day but still find it very difficult to make ends meet. The City of Fort Wayne is reaching out to help low-income working individuals and their families. Through a partnership with the Internal Revenue Service and local social service agencies, the City of Fort Wayne is conducting the Mayor’s Money in Your Pocket Campaign.
Through this partnership, the City has set up six Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites. The sites will be open and staffed with volunteer tax preparers from February 2 through April 15. Multilingual tax prepares or translators will be available at the sites as well. The sites are the Benito Juarez Center, the East Wayne Street Center, CANI Head Start at the Salvation Army, the Pontiac Youth Center, CANI on Lake Avenue and the Wayne Township Trustees’ Office
“This is the 2nd year we have worked to help working families get back the tax refunds they deserve,” said Mayor Graham Richard. “Last year this program was able to put about $250,000 back in the pockets for Fort Wayne’s hardworking families. Unfortunately, many families still don’t know this tax credit exists.”
EITC is a tax benefit for low-income individuals. The eligibility requirements are as follows:
Workers with two or more children living with them and family earnings below $34,692 can get up to $4,204 in federal tax refunds.
Workers with one child living with them and family earnings below $30,666 can get up to $2,547 in federal tax refunds.
Workers with no children living with them and making less than $12,230 can get up to $382 in federal tax refunds
In Fort Wayne many eligible workers don’t even know the credit exists. That is why the City is involved in this important outreach initiative. Last year, the first year of the City’s outreach program, nearly 500 families took advantage of free tax preparation offered by the City and its partners. Many of those families claimed EITC for the first time. The average refund was nearly $1,200.
Recent statistics from the IRS show that close to 50% of Fort Wayne residents may be eligible for EITC however, only around 22% claim the credit. That means that Fort Wayne taxpayers are missing out on close to $1.4 million in unclaimed EITC.
This initiative helps not only these hardworking families, but national research shows that entire communities benefit because taxpayers bring refunds back into the local economy. Much of the money received is used to pay off bills, make major purchases, provide for a down payment on a home, vehicle or for further education.
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