Midlands tax attorneys offer free help preparing returns
March 11, 2013
COLUMBIA, SC – March 11, 2013 – Adam Landy, a tax attorney at the McNair Law Firm, is in his third year organizing law students from the University of South Carolina School of Law and members of the South Carolina Young Lawyers Division (SC YLD) to provide free tax preparation services.
The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, offered through the Cooperative Ministry in partnership with United Way of the Midlands, held its Super Saturday Tax Kickoff Day on February 2, 2013 at the Cecil Tillis Community Center in Columbia. On that day alone, Landy and volunteers from the SC YLD and other agencies assisted over 90 individuals and families and returned approximately $55,000 to our community through tax refunds. The VITA program will continue until the income tax filing deadline of April 15, 2013.
Landy says many in the Midlands count on the VITA program each year to help them prepare and file their income tax returns to obtain their tax refund to pay bills or provide for their children. Some people come back every year to get their income taxes done and it’s like family, says Landy. We catch up on what’s been going on in their lives since last year. To connect on that level and see their reaction when I tell them about their refund – that is why I volunteer.
The VITA program has been a success since its inception. Landy and the SC YLD VITA committee were rewarded for their work by earning national recognition as the first place recipient of the American Bar Association Young Lawyer Division’s Service to the Public Award in 2011.
The VITA program and its free income tax preparation is available to ensure hardworking families take advantage of the Earned Income and Child Tax Credits, resulting in accurately prepared income tax returns and in many instances, larger refunds. To participate in VITA, Midlands residents should bring in a photo ID, Social Security Card for all dependents, and Form W-2s received from each employer. For more information on this year’s VITA Tax Prep Sites visit www.coopmin.org and click on VITA under How We Help or contact The Cooperative Ministry at 803-799-3853.
About VITA
The VITA program offers free tax help to people who make $51,000 or less and need assistance preparing their own tax returns. IRS-certified volunteers provide free basic income tax return preparation with electronic filing to qualified individuals in local communities. The VITA program began in the Midlands almost 30 years ago but was expanded by a United Way grant to the Cooperative Ministry.
About McNair
McNair Law Firm, P.A. is a full-service law firm serving businesses, government and individuals from ten offices in the Southeast, including eight in South Carolina, one in North Carolina and one in Kentucky. For more information about McNair, visit www.mcnair.net.
