Local groups try to raise awareness of Earned Tax Credit

Local groups try to raise awareness of Earned Tax Credit

YOUNGSTOWN — A local effort to make people who work, but don’t earn a lot of money, aware that they may be eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit and free help preparing their tax return got under way today.

Mahoning Valley Economic Opportunity Coalition partners launched their 2008 effort to increase the number of EITC filings by qualified taxpayers, and announced the free tax preparation and electronic filing sites that will be available throughout the county.

The Earned Income Tax Credit is a federal program that benefits working families in the form of a tax credit for eligible taxpayers. Today is also national EITC Awareness Day.

The EITC is a valuable but complex tax break for lower-income workers. Each year, millions of low-income workers and families are eligible for the EITC but don’t realize they qualify or don’t know how to claim it, officials said.

For the complete story, see Friday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com.