New York Mayor Announces Program Linking Union Members, Tax Preparers

[Judi Lynn]

New York Mayor Announces Program Linking Union Members, Tax Preparers

POSTED: 9:57 am EST January 13, 2005

NEW YORK -- Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced a program to secure tax rebates for low-income residents through the earned income tax credit.

The project will bring together thousands of city union members with the nation's two largest tax preparation chains, Jackson Hewitt Tax Service Inc. and H&R Block Inc., to increase the number of people who apply for the credit.

The city estimates that 200,000 people eligible for the credit fail to submit claims because they are not aware of the federal provision that entitles low-wage workers to rebates.

"By partnering with private sector tax preparers and offering no-charge tax services to some residents," Bloomberg said Wednesday, "we are reaffirming our commitment to care for all New Yorkers and to address the tough problems head on."
(snip/...)

http://www.wnbc.com/money/4078568/detail.html

[AP]

1. Good for Bloomberg. It's too bad that people need to be told by

a professional tax preparer that they're entitled to this money. However, this is going to pump a lot of money into the NY economy, and it's going to people who need it the most.

As George Lakoff says -- and I'm paraphrasing -- we're never going to take the unequal distribution of wealth out of our society. However, the least we can do as a society that manages to create a huge amount of wealth for a small segment of the population is to make sure that the people who live on the bottom -- whose undercompensated labor creates so much wealth at the top -- don't have to live in abject poverty and misery. And one of the best ways to do that immediately -- with no social engineering or waiting for results -- is a negative income tax, such as the EIC.

[notadmblnd]

2. Jackson Hewette

the amount companies like Jackson-Hewette charge are based on the number of forms they fill out for you. I worked for them one year part time, it was like 40 dollars for Federal 40 for state. City was 16. There was a charge for filling out the EIC, Schedule C's etc.. You bet they let people know about the credit because it puts more money in their pockets. Selling their bank services doubles the cost of a persons return. There were not many people who walked out of there paying less than 200.00 for having their taxes done on softwarethat is very similar to the many tax packages psold for individual use.

When I worked for them I felt like a vulture. Pay was 7 dollars an hour plus 20% comission on sales. I could not in good conscience push their rapid refund services to people who could least afford it. Many I sent to the library where they provide a free service to low income people on Saturdays. I worked for them the entire tax season 20hrs a week and only made 1100.00.