Fourteen WorkSource staff and 21 community volunteers devoted an average of 30 hours each to the 2004 Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program at local Career Centers. The VITA program provides Internal Revenue Service tax preparation software, training, and e-filing capabilities to community sites. The sites, often located at churches, libraries and local community centers, offer no-cost tax preparation and filing for low income residents.

The Northeast Florida effort started on January 21 and ended on April 15. The Orange Park, Gateway and Beach Boulevard WorkSource Career Centers served as VITA sites, along with addition this year of the Baker County office. This year's efforts resulted in over 940 completed returns and over $1,300,000 in refunds, with over $315,000 in Earned Income Tax Credits filed. WorkSource staff members attended a Prosperity Campaign Celebration at City Hall in April where partners and volunteers were recognized by Mayor John Peyton, representatives from the DuPont Foundation, and the Prosperity Campaign.

“This yearly effort makes a real difference in the lives of our customers,” states Ms. Steve Norris, Center Director at WorkSource’s Gateway office and founder of the WorkSource VITA campaign. “A timely tax refund and filing for the Earned Income Tax Credit can help a family buy a car or pay off debt, or perhaps start a savings account. Filing at our centers means that they don’t resort to filing with companies that offer ‘instant refunds.’ Many low income people don’t realize that the ‘instant refunds’ are actually high interest loans, and find themselves further in debt or spending their refunds on purchases they don’t need.”