For immediate release: Feb. 3, 2011

BLOOMSBURG — The Student Accounting Association at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania is providing free tax help to qualified residents of Columbia and Montour counties through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program.

Help will be available from 4 to 8 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays from Monday, Feb. 14, to Wednesday, April 13, at the Wesley United Methodist Church, 130 W. Third St., Bloomsburg. The site will be closed March 7, 8 and 9.

Volunteers will provide free electronic tax return filing for low- to moderate-income residents and those age 60 and older, as well as information on the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), the largest federal program for working families. Last year, more than 5,700 taxpayers in Columbia and Montour counties qualified for the EITC with a combined tax savings of $10.67 million.

Taxpayers should bring wage and earnings statements for all employers (Form W-2), interest statements from banks (Form 1099), a copy of last year’s tax returns and any other relevant income and expense information.

To learn more about the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, contact Blair Staley, accounting professor, (570) 389-4392.

Bloomsburg University is one of 14 universities in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. The university serves approximately 9,000 students, offering comprehensive programs of study in the colleges of Education, Business, Liberal Arts and Science and Technology.