There are very few pieces of information that everyone is expected to know but never actually taught. Filing your taxes, unfortunately, tends to be one of them. Luckily, nearly 100 Santa Barbara residents were given a helping hand ahead of the April 15 filing deadline on Saturday during Mega Tax Day at Franklin Elementary School.
“I taught myself how to do my simple taxes when I was a young girl,” said Hilda Maldonado, superintendent of Santa Barbara Unified School District. “It’s a skill, but it’s also something that we can contribute to our community.”
Organized by nonprofit United Way and sponsored by County Supervisor Laura Capps and U.S. Bank, the April 12 event ensured that low-income families who file their taxes are getting any and all tax credits they’re eligible for. Qualified tax preparers stood ready to help filers through the process.
“The earned income tax credit, especially, is so helpful,” Supervisor Capps explained. “But it’s hard to get people to participate because at that level of income, you don’t owe any taxes, so there’s no reason to file. It’s a huge hurdle.”
It can also be difficult to know what documentation is required, let alone find it all.
“There’s also an education component of this, which is extremely helpful,” said United Way’s Frances Contreras, who helped ensure tax-filers entered the event with proper documentation.
This year, most volunteers were retired accountants. In the past, a group of high school students were trained to help others file taxes in a special accounting class and then volunteered at Mega Tax Day. While that fell off in recent years, Maldonado has committed to bringing that program back to Santa Barbara Unified.
“Tax credits can really stimulate the local economy,” Supervisor Capps said. “I talked to a woman whose two daughters are sharing one bed, so they’re going to use the money to buy another mattress. It’s a game-changer.”
You must be logged in to post a comment.