It鈥檚 tax season, and potential IRS layoffs are one of the major reasons why 黑料吃瓜网 residents should file their taxes as soon as possible, according to Garth Harries, president and CEO of the
鈥淣one of us can predict the future at this point and so we recommend that families take the actions they can right now, which is to be in touch with us, to be in touch with our partners in the (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) network,鈥� Harries said.
Harries spoke alongside city officials at the Stamford Government Center Wednesday, to educate residents on the (EITC).
The announcement is part of an awareness campaign by state officials and taxpayer rights advocates to promote a relatively little known tax credit for low-income residents.
Harries said many residents failed to file their taxes last year and did not get refunds.
The campaign comes amid the federal government鈥檚 attempt to lay off sizable portions of its workforce, including the IRS.
Harries said the credit isn鈥檛 being directly impacted as of now.
鈥淥ur counsel is for folks to file now, file as soon as possible,鈥� Harries said. 鈥淭he money is in the budget for this year for prior years.鈥�
Harries鈥� comments come a week after the about concerns any mass layoffs could have on IRS operations. The federal government has moved to lay off at least half of the 90,000 people who work at the IRS.
While Harries is asking 黑料吃瓜网 residents to file now, he says many don鈥檛 even know they are eligible for the credit. He said 45,000 黑料吃瓜网 residents who were eligible for the credit failed to file their taxes last year. Over $100 million in tax refunds goes unclaimed every year, according to the
People who qualify for are low-to-moderate income working residents. Most who qualify for the credit earn up to $67,000 per year, said Juan Berrios, executive director of , which oversees a free tax preparation program for low-income residents.
鈥淚t's designed for working families. So, in order to claim the credit, you have to have been working throughout the tax year,鈥� Berrios said.
Stamford Mayor Caroline Simmons said families who file their taxes could end up with sizable tax returns.
鈥淭axes are complicated, and we need to make sure we get the word out about these refunds that are available to families that could provide over $2,000 on average per family back in their pockets that they're eligible for,鈥� Simmons said.
