Credit Union Helps Provide Free Tax Help

Photo:� University of Georgia students and VITA volunteers with Georgia United CU volunteers and Associate Professor Dr. Lance Palmer (left, front) recently retired Department Head Dr. Anne Sweaney (right, front) and current Department Head Dr. Sheri Worthy (second row, right).

ATHENS, GA - Thirty-five students from the University of Georgias College of Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS) and J.M. Tull School of Accounting in Terry School of Business partnered with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Georgia United Credit Union to provide free tax preparation services for a record 865 individuals this tax season.� This is the 7th year of this partnership that gives "real life" work experience for UGA students who are majoring in Financial Planning (College of Family and Consumer Sciences) and Accounting (Terry College of Business). Students who enroll in this service-learning course and participate in the VITA program earn academic credit for their effort. The IRS trains UGA students as tax preparers and Georgia United Credit Union provides the office space and funding and local consumers benefit by having their taxes prepared and filed electronically at no charge! Dr. Lance Palmer, Associate Professor in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences, helped develop this program for UGA as a service learning course with recently retired Department Head Dr. Anne Sweaney, after they were contacted by UGA retiree Tom Cochran who was affiliated with Georgia United Credit Union. From there, the VITA partnership was launched and has grown every year. Lance Palmer, an associate professor in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences' housing and consumer economics department, is the 2013 recipient of the Engaged Scholar Award presented annually by the Office of the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach. Georgia United Board Member and VITA Volunteer Tom Cochran of Athens shared the following information, "This year, we assisted 865 individuals and were able to e-file returns for 801 individuals resulting in federal refunds totaling $1,051,033 and state refunds totaling $177,242.� Quite an increase over the 2012 tax season, when our program assisted more than 684 individuals and families with their tax returns with federal refunds totaling more than $864,534 and $146,431 in state refunds!" The VITA program extended free tax return assistance to individuals and families with low to moderate income (who do not have depreciable property or extensive stock or asset transactions.) This years VITA site was located at Georgia United Credit Unions 190 Gaines School Road branch.