UNITED WAY OF SOUTHERN NEVADA’S “EARN IT KEEP IT SAVE IT” FREE TAX PREPARATION PRELIMINARY RESULTS SHOW MORE THAN $8.3 MILLION RETURNED TO LOCAL RESIDENTS
Nonprofit provided free tax services to Southern Nevada residents through “Earn It Keep It Save It” program
United Way of Southern Nevada’s “Earn It Keep It Save It” collaborative announces preliminary results for the 2011-2012 tax season. This year, the collaborative provided its free services to 5,881 local individuals and families, and returned more than $8.3 million in tax refunds, including $4.5 million in tax credits.
From January through April 2012, “Earn It Keep It Save It” provided free tax preparation to those who earned less than $50,000 in 2011. Services were available at more than 35 VITA sites across the Las Vegas Valley as a result of an $84,000 IRS grant and matched funding from local partners. Taxes were prepared by IRS-certified volunteers who are specially-trained to identify low-income tax credits, such as Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), which many residents are unaware of or uncertain as to their eligibility.
Approximately 1,607 individuals and families received EITC returns, putting more than $2.5 million back into to the Southern Nevada community. Nationally, EITC is one of the largest antipoverty programs. Five million people, half of them children, are lifted out of poverty each year due to EITC.
“Earn It Keep It Save It” provides eligible families and individuals with free, quality tax return preparation and financial education. The project supports United Way’s financial stability Community-based Agenda, helping low-income families become fiscally stable and independent.
About United Way of Southern Nevada
United Way collaborates with volunteers, stakeholders and community leaders to uncover key strategies designed to develop community-based solutions to our community’s most pressing health and human service issues. Beyond quick fixes, these strategies are delivering lasting solutions, aligned with benchmarks and achievement standards, to change community conditions. For more information about Southern Nevada’s most pressing needs and how United Way’s Community-based Agenda is improving lives, visit uwsn.org/connected and join United Way’s social network.
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