Legal Aid of NC and
WFU Law
School providing free tax preparation
in Forsyth County area
on March 21 and 24
March 13, 2009 MEDIA RELEASE
(Winston-Salem, NC) –
Legal Aid of
North Carolina (LANC)
and Wake Forest
University (WFU) School of Law are teaming up to offer free tax
preparation for eligible taxpayers in Forsyth, Davie, Iredell,
Stokes, Surry and Yadkin counties on Saturday,
March 21 and on Tuesday, March 24.
Law student volunteers from the WFU School of Law will be available
from 10 AM. to 4 PM. on March 21 and from 4
PM. to 7 PM on March 24 at the Winston-Salem office of
Legal Aid of NC at 102 W. Third St., Suite 460.
Tax preparation will be supervised by IRS-certified
preparers from the
LANC-Winston-Salem Office.
“This is a unique opportunity to help families who are reeling from
the national economic crisis,” said Gray Wilson, coordinator of the
LANC
Tax Assistance Project in the Winston-Salem area.
“LANC is committed to helping eligible North Carolina workers
claim the Earned Income Tax Credits as a means to help them weather
the economic crisis and to allow them to build a better future.”
LANC focuses its tax preparation assistance to low-income families
who are eligible for the
Earned Income Tax Credits (ETIC).
For the first time this tax season, eligible
North Carolina
workers can claim the new North Carolina Earned Income Tax Credit
(NC EITC) when they file their 2008 taxes.
The NC EITC will be worth 3.5 percent of the federal credit.
For families with two or more children, the two credits
combined can be worth close to $5,000.
“This
North Carolina EITC tax credit, the first the state has offered,
comes at a time when working families are uncertain about their
economic future,” said Janet Cowell, treasurer for the State of
North Carolina. “Claiming both tax credits they’ve earned through
this statewide outreach campaign delivers on the promise that we are
here to serve the needs of working families while improving the
state’s economy.”
According to EITC Carolinas, eligible workers leave an estimated
$135 million or more in federal EITC dollars unclaimed every year in
North Carolina, costing the state at minimum an additional $200
million in statewide economic stimulus.
Many workers may be eligible for the EITC even if they lost
their jobs during 2008.
In addition to taxpayers who do not claim the tax credit, even more
money is lost to working people when they use paid preparers and
purchase costly rapid anticipation loans at high interest rates.
The eligibility requirements for both the federal and NC EITC are
the same. Taxpayers who
earned $42,000 or less may be eligible for free income tax
preparation services provided by IRS
certified preparers
at LANC. Families
earning up to $41,646 in 2008 will qualify for the EITC, depending
on their number of children and their filing status.
Single workers and those without children are also eligible.
Workers who do not owe taxes or who are not required to file a tax
return are also eligible for EITC, but they must file a federal
return to receive the federal credit and a state return for the NC
EITC.
To make an appointment for free tax preparation,
call
LANC-Winston-Salem Office in Winston-Salem, 336-725-9162.
Legal Aid of North Carolina (LANC)
is a statewide nonprofit law firm that provides free legal services
in civil matters to eligible, low-income residents.
LANC serves all 100 counties
of North Carolina
through 24 geographically located offices across the state.
The
LANC-Winston-Salem Office serves clients in
Davie, Forsyth, Iredell, Stokes, Surry and Yadkin counties and is
located at 102 West Third Street, Suite 460 in downtown
Winston-Salem.
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CONTACTS:
Gray Wilson, (Coordinator, LANC Tax Assistance Project,
LANC-Winston-Salem Office), Winston-Salem, NC, 336-725-9162
Willette Crews (Coordinator, Legal Aid of NC Tax Assistance
Program),
Durham, NC, 919-688-6396
Dock Kornegay (Director,
Public Relations & Development, Legal Aid of NC),
Raleigh, NC, 919-856-2564
Disclaimer
The materials contained on this website
are for information and educational purposes only and do not
constitute legal advice.
Also please note that Legal Aid of North Carolina does not
provide legal assistance by E-mail. Contact your Legal Aid of
North Carolina office or a private attorney if you need to speak
to an attorney regarding your particular situation.
See our
complete disclaimer.
Mission Statement
Legal Aid of North Carolina is a statewide, nonprofit law firm that
provides free legal services in civil matters to low-income people in
order to ensure equal access to justice and to remove legal barriers
to economic opportunity.