David Vasquez remembers the time he cried over a tax return – in joy, not frustration. Vasquez was helping a woman prepare her taxes, and after much searching found just the right deductions to net her a large refund. “This lady started crying,” he remembers. “She said, ‘Now I can get some beds for my kids.’ It made me cry.”
Vasquez, of Salinas, has been donating his time more than five years working as an IRS-trained tax preparer for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Service for United Way Monterey County. He now serves as a co-coordinator for two sites in Salinas – there are 15 sites around the county for residents in both English and Spanish. Vasquez is one of more than 120 volunteers who receive 32 hours of training from October to January. Volunteers commit to working at least 24 hours between February and tax day, which this year is April 17.
The VITA service is free to families and individuals who earned less than $54,000 in 2017. The goal is to make sure that people get 100 percent of the refund monies they are eligible for. “I always think of the program as a triple win,” says Loyanne Flinn de Guaracha, United Way’s Community impact director for financial stability. Not only do the people getting back refunds win, but also the volunteer tax preparers who receive valuable work experience. (Many volunteers are accounting and business majors from CSU Monterey Bay and Hartnell and Monterey Peninsula colleges.) The third win is Monterey County, which Flinn de Guaracha estimates will see $4 million flow into the pockets of residents.
About 1,500 people were helped last year, and about the same number are expected this year. Vasquez wants to keep volunteering, although next year will be a challenge, when the GOP tax plan brings major changes. “I’m actually nervous about all the changes that are going to come,” he says. “I’ll just have to see how it will work out.”
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.