Tax Help Colorado A Success at Lamar Community College

For the past five Saturdays trained Lamar Community College students and staff prepared and e-filed tax returns free of charge for eligible individuals and families on behalf of Tax Help Colorado, a partnership with the Denver-based Piton Foundation.

Lamar Community College was one of 26 free Tax Help Colorado sites. Student volunteers had completed a 15-week income tax preparation course through the college and passed the VITA/TCE certification exam administered by the Internal Revenue Service prior to participating in Tax Help Colorado.

Last tax season, the LCC Tax Help Colorado site assisted 87 taxpayers file for over $130,000 in refunds. This year the LCC Tax Help Colorado site assisted 137 taxpayers file for $276,000 in refunds including $114,000 from the Earned Income Tax Credit (figures may change slightly as outstanding tax returns are completed and filed).

“In just its second year, the Tax Help Colorado program at Lamar Community College has increased by nearly 75% the number of tax returns it prepared for lower-income taxpayers in the local community,” said Diane DiGiacomo, director of communications at The Piton Foundation. Piton thanks Don Yoxsimer, Tim Wheaton, and LCC students who dedicated themselves over the last month to ensure that hard working families from Lamar and the surrounding area received of all the tax credits they were due. At the same time, these students received valuable real-world work experience and performed an important community service.”

Tax Help Colorado is a partnership of The Piton Foundation and Colorado’s community colleges to provide free income-tax return preparation to lower and moderate-income working families in Colorado. This tax season, 16 Colorado colleges are operating 26 free tax preparation sites across the state.

For information about Tax Help Colorado, see www.piton.org/taxhelpcolorado. For information on the LCC site contact Don Yoxsimer at 719.336.1548 or don.yoxsimer@lamarcc.edu.

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