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In the months of February and March, Saint Xavier University’s Graham School of Management, in conjunction with the Ladder Up organization, plans to offer Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) programs.
Students who are IRS certified and members of local accounting firms will offer free, basic income tax return assistance to both SXU students and community members whose income is less than $54,000 a year (or $27,000 for single taxpayers), persons with disabilities, the elderly, and limited English speaking taxpayers.
The VITA program will be held on February 13, and March 26 from 8:30 am to noon in Andrew Hall at the Graham School of Management. Anyone attending this program should be sure to bring the following: their tax documents including all Forms W-2 and 1099, information for other income, information for all deductions/credits, a copy of last year’s tax return, proof of account for direct deposit of refund, and Social Security cards or Individual Taxpayer Identification notices/cards.
Dean Asghar Sabbaghi of the Graham School of Management provides some information and his own insight about Ladder Up and the VITA program at SXU. He speaks about the reasoning behind bringing such a program to the university and how it tied in to the school’s mission.
“When I joined Saint Xavier University as the Dean of Graham School of Management in the Fall of 2014, I paid very close attention to the mission of the University, our student education, and particularly to experiential education in order to reinforce students’ learning and our service to our community. As a Catholic institution sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy, Saint Xavier University educates men and women not only for themselves but also for others,” said Sabbaghi.
In addition to this, Sabbaghi speaks about the importance of and his experiences with the VITA program.
“I had worked with VITA program prior to joining SXU. I noticed VITA program is in the spirit of our University mission in serving others wisely and compassionately. Talented faculty and students are the best and most valuable University resources that can help us to serve our community. In addition, I consider this VITA program, as a valuable experiential learning that would help our student to reinforce their learnings,” said Sabbaghi.
With this spirit and inspiration, Sabbaghi decided that the program would be beneficial to SXU students and the surrounding community members.
“Therefore, I encouraged our accounting faculty, particularly Professor Donald Cyze who is teaching tax at GSM, to offer VITA program through students in his Tax classes. We thought Ladder Up would be a good partner in this initiative due to its mission and IRS certification,” said Sabbaghi.
Ladder Up engages volunteers through TAP to help low-income taxpayers prepare and file their Federal and state income tax returns. Many of these volunteers come from Chicago’s top companies and universities.
Many TAP clients are eligible for significant tax credits including the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). LIFT includes two programs: the Higher Education Access Initiative and the Financial Literacy Program.
The Higher Education Access Initiative is designed to help students apply for financial aid and postsecondary education and the Financial Literacy Program helps high school students develop a foundation for sound financial decision making.
Interested readers should contact Nick Mancari at (773) 298-3600 with any additional questions about the program or to make a reservation. Appointments for the day of the programs are not required but are encouraged to guarantee a spot.
Julie Gardner
News Contributor