By Melissa Valerie
The University’s Tax Society, an organization that provides free tax preparation help waill now offer an on-campus site at the Saltzman Community Services Center.
Robert Garbarino, president of the society and a senior accounting major, said members of the organization will offer their services to students as well as residents in the area from 1 to 4 p.m. every Sunday.
Garbarino said the organization currently has 100 members, most of which are accounting majors and some are IRS certified to prepare certain types of tax returns.
“We do four days of training in January on the weekends, after that they take a test to make sure they comprehend the material. If they pass the test they become IRS certified,” Garbarino said.
Along with help from booklets supplied by the IRS, members also receive training from Dr. Anthony Basile, an adjunct accounting professor and faculty advisor to the tax society.
Garbarino said members receive three days of federal training and one day of state training. If a volunteer does make a mistake preparing someone’s taxes, neither the volunteer nor the tax payer will be penalized.
“The IRS realizes these are volunteers, so if they do make a mistake the person who does it will not be penalized. If the tax payer is supposed to get more money the tax return will be adjusted and returned to them,” he said.
The Tax Society, which is also a participant in the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (V.I.T.A.) program, aims to serve the community and is a public service, especially to individuals who cannot afford to pay to have their taxes done.
“The people that we’re really extending the service to are usually lower-income people with a couple of children, so there’s a lot of tax credits for those people, those are usually the ones that are really happy,” Garbarino said.
He also said that aside from serving the community, volunteers also gain the experience and the training that will be beneficial to their careers in the future.
V.I.T.A. member Jordan Arma, a junior accounting major, joined the Tax Society this January. Arma said being a member has helped him learn about taxes.
“Not only have I learned how to do my own taxes, but when I go into tax classes it will be beneficial for me because I already have a little experience,” he said.
Another V.I.T.A. member, Linda Eboukle, also a junior accounting major, said she joined primarily because of the community service aspect of the program.
“I’ve always been involved in community service,” she said. “I heard about V.I.T.A., and thought it would be a good way to gain experience while serving the community at the same time.”
Individuals who would like to have their taxes done can go to the Saltzman Center on Sundays where two to five members are usually there to help.
Garbarino said individuals should bring a picture I.D. and their social security card, as well as the previous year’s tax return and any documents that contain pertinent tax information.
Garbarino said volunteers can also be found at local libraries. He volunteers at the Elmont Library on the weekends. Libraries that participate in the program post flyers that list the times and dates when volunteers will be available. Some of the libraries that participate in the program are in Garden City, Plainview, Bethpage and Long Beach.