Pascua Yaqui VITA Center a Success
As its first season in operation drew to a close, the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) center in Tucson, AZ, reported success in helping tribal members file their taxes.
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The Pascua Yaqui tribal community began participating in the VITA program last year when its tribal council authorized the tribe's development services department to apply for grant funds from CCDO to establish the center.
The tribe used this funding to train 16 volunteer tax preparers, all of whom were tribal members and employees. Volunteers learned to prepare basic tax returns using Taxwise software, and each devoted 40 hours to training before becoming certified tax preparers. CCDO grant funds provided four laptop computers and a printer for the center.
VITA volunteers assisted taxpayers during 23 scheduled sessions between February 8 and April 16. Scheduling and location selections were coordinated to give as many low-income tribal members as possible easy access to the center's free services. For example, 13 VITA sessions were held at the Pascua Yaqui tribal council chambers, 2 at the senior center, and 1 in the casino's conference room. On April 16, a final session was held at the tribe's housing maintenance conference room for those taxpayers suffering from "tax procrastination" or just "tax forgetfulness."
The laptops purchased for the center allowed volunteers to travel easily around the reservation and the Tucson metropolitan area—approximately 15 miles from the reservation—to prepare taxes. Volunteers also served tribal members in the cities of Marana—38 miles from the reservation—and Coolidge—78 miles from the reservation. "More than half of the returns were prepared at offsite locations, and the Pascua Yaqui Tribe taxpayers in these tribal communities seemed to be grateful that we had gone the extra miles to help them," said Frances Hosten, one of the Site Coordinators for the VITA program.
The tribe's Economic Development Department coordinated all aspects of the VITA center project and its marketing. To ensure that tribal members were aware of the service, the local radio station, KPYT, ran public service announcements to announce times and locations for tax preparation. The announcements also advised listeners about the items they should bring to the center. Promotional fliers were hand delivered to many households on the reservation and mailed to members in other areas.
Word of mouth, however, was the most effective tool for marketing the service. "The word even got out to our neighboring tribe, the Tohono O'Odham, and we had the pleasure of preparing several of their members' tax returns," said Letticia Baltazar, one of the Site Coordinators for the VITA program.
By the end of the tax season, the Pascua Yaqui Tribe's VITA center had helped 210 people prepare their tax returns, with 91 percent filed electronically and approximately $220,000 expected back in refunds. Add to this that VITA centers provide these services free of charge, and an additional $60,000 was saved by tribal members who had always paid to have their taxes prepared in the past. The average income of those assisted at the center was $25,000, and those who qualified were encouraged to claim the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit. Thirty-one percent of those assisted were the heads of single-parent families.
The Pascua Yaqui VITA center has changed the way many tribal members think about their taxes. Now they know that they do not have to pay high fees to have their taxes prepared or to take out loans to receive a quick refund. Members who previously paid for tax preparation made it clear that they will return to the tribe's VITA center next year.
"Our success would have not been possible without the help of our dedicated VITA volunteers," said Baltazar. Hosten agreed, adding, "We gained valuable experience and knowledge, and we look forward to next year's tax time to continue helping our tribal communities."
For more information, contact:Len Goeller
Economic Development Manager
Pascua Yaqui Tribe
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