14742: Hermantin: Prosperity Campaign in Haitian Community (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: leonie hermantin <lhermantin@hotmail.com>

PRESS RELEASE
January 28, 2003



HAITIAN COMMUNITY ENCOURAGED TO CLAIM EARNED INCOME TAX CREDIT AND USE FREE
TAX PREPARATION ASSISTANCE

MIAMI, FL—Immigrant working families are often not aware of tax deduction or
credit they can claim when filing their annual tax returns.  With tax season
just around the corner, San La Haitian Neighborhood Center, along with the
Human Services Coalition, the Mayors of the City of Miami and Miami-Dade
County, the IRS, the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce and other community
partners are working in partnership through The Greater Miami Prosperity
Campaign to ensure that these families and workers are aware of the Earned
Income Tax Credit (EITC), a refundable federal tax credit which can mean
more than $4,000 per year in extra income for a working low-income family.

Even though the Earned Income Tax Credit has existed for nearly 30 years,
many are not aware of the credit or its requirements.  It is estimated that
as much as $300 million dollars goes unclaimed in Miami-Dade County.  If a
family has not claimed the tax credit in the past, they may still have the
opportunity to receive up to three preceding years of credit by filing
amended tax returns.

The Haitian community is one of the target populations that the Campaign
aims to help.  A recent telephone survey of 400 individuals conducted by the
FIU Metropolitan reported the following findings:

·	Only 26.9 percent of the respondents remember filing for an Earned Income
Tax Credit.
·	African Americans were far more likely to apply for the credit by 48
percent, as compared to 24.9 percent for Hispanics, 25 percent for non-Latin
Whites and 20 percent for Haitians.
·	75% of Haitians surveyed were not aware of the earned income tax credit,
as compared to 78.6% of Hispanics.
·	80% of all Haitians surveyed used a professional tax preparer and 25% used
a big tax firm.

Gepsie Metellus, Executive Director of the Haitian Neighborhood Center
states that “these findings offer us with a wonderful opportunity to work
with other Haitian community agencies, media representatives and the clergy
to inform our community, through culturally sensitive messages,  about the
Earned Income Tax Credit and to encourage low-income families to use Sant
La’s free tax preparation site, staffed by volunteers from Little Haiti
Housing Association and Fanm Ayisien Nan Myami (FANM)”.

With the assistance of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) VITA Program
(Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) this can be accomplished.  The VITA
program trains qualified volunteers to prepare “Free of charge” income tax
returns for low-income members of the community.  This is a national program
that has existed for many years.  “Any member of the Haitian community, who
qualifies for this service, will at the very least, not only have their
return correctly and lawfully prepared, but also save the costs associated
with their income tax preparation,” said August Lilavois, Tax Specialist at
the IRS in Miami.

An advantage of using this service is that any tax benefit for which a
taxpayer is eligible and qualifies for, will NOT be forgotten in their
return. VITA sites also offer electronic filing of the return and a direct
deposit option of the refund into a bank account.  This process will
accelerate any refund due to the taxpayer in as little as 10 days.  Mr.
Lilavois concludes: “What does that mean to a taxpayer.  It means putting a
lot more dollars in people’s pockets.  One can wait a few days and save the
cost and interest associated with a Refund Anticipated Loan.”

Nadine Olmann, President of Nadine Olmann CPA adds, “It is important to get
people to understand that free tax preparation DOES NOT  equal POOR  tax
preparation.  Many  tax preparers at large tax preparation companies are not
CPAs or accountants; they are simply trained to do taxes, guided by computer
software.  Tax preparers at VITAS sites are volunteers trained by the
Internal Revenue Service with the goal of helping low-income people keep all
of their return money”.

“The Greater Miami Prosperity Campaign has gained strong support from the
Miami-Dade business community, especially from financial institutions that
have invested in the neighborhoods being targeted by the initiative.  In
essence, this effort is about education, and that will include financial
information and access to mainstream banking services." states Ana
Cruz-Taura   Regional Community Development Manager of  Federal Reserve Bank
of Atlanta.

Sant La Haitian Neighborhood Center at 5000 Biscayne Blvd., Suite 110 will
be one of the VITA sites offering free tax assistance.  For more
information, please call (305) 573-4871.


CONTACTS:
For information about the Greater Miami Prosperity Campaign in the Haitian
Community, contact:

Gepsie M. Metellus, Executive Director
Haitian Neighborhood Center, Sant La
(305) 573-4871
santla@bellsouth.net

Leonie M. Hermantin, Director of Planning
Haitian Neighborhood Center, Sant La
(305) 573-4871
santla@bellsouth.net


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