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| Illustration: Ward Schumaker |
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Call on the AARP Foundation for Help with
Filing Your Tax Return
Whether you speak Spanish or English, sometimes it seems like U.S. tax forms are written in Greek. If facing a 1040 form makes you sweat or swoon, don't fret-free help is on the way and in your own language.
Each year, from February 1 to April 15, AARP Foundation in cooperation with the Internal Revenue Service, (IRS) dispatches an army of more than 30,000 trained volunteers across the country, to answer tax questions and help low- and moderate-income taxpayers fill out returns. The volunteers will assist people of all ages, but there is a special emphasis on helping those 60 and older. "During 2002, volunteers for AARP's Tax-Aide program filled out returns for 1.8 million taxpayers, making it the largest free, volunteer-run tax counseling and preparation service in the country," says Fran Brenneman, national communications coordinator for the program. Tax-Aide organizers are anticipating that they will increasingly provide assistance to more taxpayers, particularly Spanish speakers, as a consequence of a grant-funded outreach program that began in 2001. The grant money, which pays the expenses of extra Spanish-speaking volunteers, and for advertising the service in local Spanish language publications, was spent in Miami, Houston, and Los Angeles. The assistance will be offered, progressively, in other cities as well.
"There was no shortage of Spanish-speakers looking for help with their taxes in Miami during 2002," says Luis C. Isaza, who worked as a bilingual volunteer there. "Most of the tax forms are in English," said Isaza, "and many people just feel more comfortable speaking in Spanish." Many people who came to the Miami sites were in desperate need of the free help. One older woman waited two hours for help even though she knew her return would be insignificant. "People love getting a refund," says the 69-year-old Isaza, a Colombia native who spent 30 years working as a financial officer for big corporations in the United States, before recently becoming a business consultant. "Sometimes you wish you could help them more." Ariel Cabrera, another Miami volunteer, says it was rewarding to help people find tax breaks, to which they did not know they were entitled. One single mother, for instance, was overjoyed when he told her she could get a tax credit for child-care costs. "Some people are very confused by the tax rules," said Cabrera, a 56-year-old insurance salesman. "For many it would be a burden to pay for tax advice."
Business was slow when Ramona Carvajal first began volunteering for AARP's Tax-Aide program at the New York City Library's Mott Haven branch in the Bronx. "Then, once word got around that there was free tax help and a Spanish-speaking volunteer, we were swamped with clients," says Rosalind Alexander, a volunteer program supervisor who worked side-by-side with Carvajal at the library during 2002. Those needing help lined up in front of the pair. Those who wished to work with the Spanish-speaking Carvajal waited for her, while the others went to Alexander for help. When a more complicated tax problem cropped up, Carvajal would confer with Alexander for help. When Alexander needed to explain something more technical to a Spanish-speaker, she turned to Carvajal. "It was extremely helpful, beneficial, and efficient to have Ramona there," said Alexander. In years past, Alexander says she often had a difficult time explaining things to people who spoke English as a second language. "I would explain things to people and I could see on their faces that they probably didn't get it," Alexander says. Carvajal, a 40-year-old native of the Dominican Republic, found the volunteer experience extremely rewarding. "I love these people," the assistant day care teacher said. "Sometimes the elderly come in with their taxes because they don't know what to do. When you help them and tell them it is free, you see their faces. they say, 'Really? It's free?' They don't believe it." The Tax-Aide program began in 1968. Since 1980, it has operated under a cooperative agreement with the IRS. The program provides a variety of services, including face-to-face counseling and tax preparation during tax season at more than 9,000 senior and community centers, libraries and other locations across the nation. Tax-Aide volunteers also visit hospitals, nursing homes, and private residences to assist those who are unable to visit a site. Electronic filing is also available at more than 1,350 sites across the nation.
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