Member Updates

NCTC Announces Free Use of NCTC Online University

The National Community Tax Coalition (NCTC) is proud to announce that its NCTC Online University has added additional courses and will be available for FREE this tax season - starting right now!

State stories: Strengthen the EITC, strengthen local economies

This week, NCTC was able to help our Illinois affiliate – the Center for Economic Progress – make an important plug for increasing that state’s Earned Income Tax Credit.

Federal Benefit Payments Are Going All-Electronic

Source: U.S. Department of the Treasury, Financial Management Service

The long & short of EITC’s value to families

The majority of households claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit do so only for brief stretches of time, according to new research that indicates the credit’s value as a short-term aid to many families in temporary need of help.

2011 Day of Action: A Success!

NCTC members had a record-breaking day of action in Washington, DC on October 13, 2011. Organizations from 18 states had meetings with over 60 congressional offices to ask support for the VITA Act of 2011 and to preserve refundable tax credits. We also hosted a congressional briefing with the Congressman Mike Honda, the lead sponsor of H.R. 2151, the VITA Act of 2011. We hope to grow our days of action to become bigger and better every year!

Free, Assisted Online Tax Preparation with the Beehive and MyFreeTaxes.com

One Economy Corporation is a global nonprofit organization, founded in 2000, with a mission to help low-income people maximize the power and potential of technology to improve their lives and join the economic mainstream. At One Economy, we use technology to augment and enhance existing systems and community development activities to better support the needs and potential of low-income people. We believe that by using the Internet innovatively, we can break through the barriers caused by the social and economic isolation of poverty.

National Program Survey Results Released

How does your free tax preparation program compare to others in its field? How do other programs train their volunteers and ensure quality returns? NCTC’s 2011 National Program Survey throws light on these questions.

Memo from DC: More clarity, please

After a week spent solidifying support for the VITA Act of 2011 and protection of tax credits for working families, NCTC’s policy-and-advocacy team has returned from Washington, DC ready to tighten up the communications strategies supporting those priorities.

TIGTA Report on VITA and Other Volunteer Tax Programs

As you may have heard, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) released their annual audit of the VITA program today. There is the potential for negative publicity due to the report’s criticisms and we want you to be prepared.

PaperlessPLUS Premier Pilot - - Tax Campaigns/Organizations Wanted

The National Community Tax Coalition, in partnership with CCH, Small Firm Services (TaxWise) is seeking approximately 10 community tax preparation programs to pilot the PaperlessPLUS Premier Initiative during the upcoming tax season. The main goal is to increase accuracy of the tax preparation using auto fill capabilities by scanning income documents.

Ensuring High-Quality, Affordable Assistance for America’s Taxpayers: Highlights of the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program’s 2011 Efforts

The National Community Tax Coalition (NCTC) is the nation’s leading coalition of non-profit, voluntary entities providing free tax preparation assistance and financial services to low-income individuals and families.

Looking Back at NCTC's Thought Leader Circle II

The second of three Thought Leader Circles was held on July 28th in New York City. A component of the Sustainable Models research project, funded by the Ford Foundation, the circles bring together leaders in the tax preparation field to participate in a robust research initiative exploring sustainability issues. These learnings will help inform the future direction of the community tax preparation field in service delivery, revenue generation, and policy.

Treasury Dept. Announces Pilot Program on EITC Eligibility

Program will seek to identify ineligible EITC claimants and eligible individuals who do not claim the EITC through state data.

Obama Nominates Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director, Richard Cordray

Today, President Obama formally announced his nomination of Richard Cordray as the first Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

Treasury Dept. Announces Elimination of Paper Bonds - Action Needed!

While the tax time savings bond program is safe, your help is needed to ensure our clients are being served!

Guest Blog: Revealing the People Behind Tax Credits

Guest blogger Steve Holt of Holt Solutions highlights key demographic findings about VITA clients' use of select tax credits in data pulled from sites participating in the Anne E. Casey Foundation's National Tax Assistance for Working Families Campaign (NTA).

MEDA Director Discusses Financial Aid Awareness Week on Univision

Dairo Romero, Director of Programs at the Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA) in San Francisco was recently interviewed by Univsion 14 about MEDA's involement in Financial Aid U and Financial Aid Awareness Week.

CEP President David Marzahl Discusses Financial Aid Awareness Week on WGN TV

David Marzahl discusses what Financial Aid Awareness Week means, and what the Center for Economic Progress is doing to promote awareness in the Chicago area.

Happy Financial Aid Awareness Week!

Cities across the country have declared February 6-12, 2011 "Financial Aid Awareness Week."

National EITC Awareness Day

While hundreds of VITA programs celebrated National EITC Awareness Day in their local communities, NCTC celebrated with a policy briefing on Capitol Hill.