The Internal Revenue Service supports a program called Volunteer Income Tax Assistance to help taxpayers easily file their tax returns. The Matthew 25 Ministry Hub has served as a VITA location for the last few years. Any taxpayer in the area who falls within the income threshold and does not have certain complicated tax issues can call the United Way 211 phone number and set up an appointment to come to Matthew 25 and have a certified volunteer tax preparer help them file their tax return, free of charge. VITA electronically files both the federal and Iowa state returns. Last year, in the 2008 Tax Filing Season, VITA volunteers at Matthew 25 completed 266 returns that yielded $383,227 in federal refunds for an average refund of $1,441 per taxpayer. The VITA program saves taxpayers both time and money, and Matthew 25 is happy to provide the space.
