Volunteer tax preparer helps lower-income filers get their due

Taxpayers who are the least able to pay for help preparing their tax returns often end up paying more in taxes than they should, an inequity that a free tax preparation program on the North Coast is trying to address.

"We brought back $1.3 million in refunds last year to the Sonoma County community," said Ilene Moran of Santa Rosa. "When our taxpayer receives that income, they go to the local grocery store that is in our economy.

It is said the refunds trickle out sevenfold."

Moran for the past decade has been a tax preparer and a coordinator for Volunteer Income Tax Assistance, which offers free tax preparation services for people who can't afford commercial tax preparation.

The program this year serves Sonoma, Lake and Mendocino counties under the umbrella of the United Way of the Wine Country, which has a grant of $41,800 from the Internal Revenue Service to offset part of the cost.

The group serves working people who are low- to moderate-income wage earners, and the majority have dependent children, said Darlene Fiscus, United Way vice president. "Either they don't have a computer to do their taxes or they are not fluent in English, and tax forms are not in Spanish."

The program serves those with a family income of less than $50,000. It includes illegal residents who may not have a Social Security Number, but pay taxes using a Taxpayer Identification Number.

"People who are making that level of wages don't have expendable income to pay $150 to $300 or $400 to get their taxes done," Fiscus said.

Last year, tax preparers in the program prepared 1,385 returns and brought in $2 million in refunds to the three counties, Fiscus said.

The program has 70 preparers who are certified by the IRS to prepare state and federal returns, she said.

Moran is an accountant for Sonoma County Human Services, one of 30 government agencies, businesses and non-profits that are involved.

"I enjoy doing taxes and also like to volunteer in one way or another," Moran said. "This opportunity was a great way to combine both, to do taxes as well as provide something to the community."

The volunteers prepare basic tax returns that take advantage of many credits such as the earned income tax credit and education and child and dependent care credits that might otherwise be overlooked.

"The taxpayers who come to us are so genuinely grateful we have this program" Moran said. "They get cash back in their pockets. It is for items they need; they pay rent, buy a new car. It is so neat to see how grateful they are."

The decade-old program is modeled after one started in Alameda County.

"When I started as a tax preparer, I would do maybe three or six a week, maybe 100 tax returns a season," Moran said. "Now I fill in to do tax returns and I am also a site coordinator. I am go-to person for volunteers at a site and I teach the volunteers in a classroom-type setting on weekends."

The tax preparation sessions, which take about an hour, are done at 30 locations in the three counties. Information and appointments can be scheduled by calling 211, the Sonoma County Volunteer Center information center, or at www.unitedwaywinecountry.org/eitc.

You can reach Staff Writer Bob Norberg at 521-5206 or bob.norberg@pressdemocrat.com.