Tax-Coalition.org - Connecting Working Families to Tax Benefits


About Us Mission Steering Committee Working Groups Key Partners State Leaders Staff Jobs Center for Economic Progress Contact Us Training & Events Events Training Calendar Tax Policy Center Tax Policy Updates Key Documents Build Support for EITC Campaigns Resource Library Resource Library Home Marketing the EITC EITC Coalition Managing Tax Sites Leading a Program Volunteers Serving Immigrants Tax Clinics e-Filing & IT Data Collection IRS Materials Financial Services Linking to Benefits Economic Stimulus Package Affiliates & Services Program Locator EITC Estimator Newsletters Join the Coalition Listservs Volunteer Program Survey Quality Alerts Program Profiles EITC Success Stories Technical Assistance Options Paid Affiliates Scholarships Knight Programs

				National Community Tax Coalition 29 E. Madison, Suite 910 Chicago, IL 60602 (312) 252-0280 (phone) (312) 252-0285 (fax) www.tax-coalition.org a program of the Center for Economic Progress

August 4, 2006			The Newsletter of the National Community Tax Coalition
In this issue:	Registration opens for national conference Sharpen your intake skills IRS phone forum regarding hurricanes victims Philanthropist supports community tax program Program Profile: Northwest Indiana ABC New resources Job openings Calendar
Community Tax News
	Registration opens for national conference The Building Prosperity for Working Families conference will consist of three days of training, learning, networking, and shaping the direction of the free tax preparation and asset-building fields. Register now. This year you will find opportunities for: Asset Building: Financial stability and wealth building policy and practices Innovation: New approaches to build free tax preparation and wealth-building initiatives Leadership: Business operations to enhance tax preparation program management and policy efforts Scale & Sustainability: Strengthen your program; define pathways to long term success New Workshop Levels: Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced Exhibitor Hall: Visit Tax Software, Benefit Screening Software, and other vendors Become a Coalition affiliate now and save $100 on your registration fee. Visit www.tax-coalition.org for more information. WHEN: Wednesday, October 11, 2006 7:30 AM - Friday, October 13, 2006 4:00 PM Pacific Time Zone WHERE: Wilshire Grand Hotel 930 Wilshire Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90017 USA Register now or view the agenda. Sharpen your intake skills Two areas have consistently come up as challenges for the free tax preparation field: the intake process and ethics. The Coalition training team has put together a training that will give you guidelines and best practices for both of these issues, and we would love for you to join us in this highly interactive workshop. Date: Thursday, August 24, 2006 Location: Hilton Garden Inn – Downtown Detroit Title: Advanced Quality Issues for Tax Preparation Sites Level: Intermediate/Advanced Length: 6.5 hours Trainer(s): Barbara DelBene and Marshall Hunt Cost: $100 for paid affiliates; $150 for others This seminar addresses two topics that challenge tax preparation operations: client intake and ethical issues. We will cover: client intake procedures and interview techniques, including intake forms information gathering techniques best practices. The class will also investigate ethical dilemmas and discuss approaches and guidelines. Throughout this class, participants will have opportunities to ask questions and offer opinions on a wide variety of relevant scenarios. Register for the training. IRS phone forum regarding hurricanes victims A free IRS phone forum on August 10 will assist victims of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma claiming casualty and theft losses on their individual income tax returns as described in Revenue Procedure 2006-32. It will be held between 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Central Daylight Time. The forum will be of definite interest to practitioners in the immediate vicinity of the Gulf States, but also to practitioners in states that have evacuees from the Gulf area. Registration: Please register at the AT&T TeleConference Services Web site; Access Code: 579244. back to top
Affiliates in the News
	Philanthropist supports community tax program The rise of maverick insurance tycoon Bernard Rapoport from humble beginnings to public prominence is surprisingly similar to that of the Center for Public Policy Priorities, the Austin-based public interest research organization that honored Rapoport–known to his friends simply as "B"–in May. Former President Bill Clinton delivered the keynote address. Read more in the Austin Chronicle. The Bernard and Audre Rapoport Foundation has a lengthy history of funding initiatives for education, the arts, health care access, and civic participation, including National Community Tax Coalition affiliate Foundation Communities. The Family Asset Building Project on the Center for Public Policy Priorities website has extensive resources on the EITC. back to top
Program Profile
	If you were a free tax preparation program, how would you respond to a CPA recently retired from Senior Executive Service ranks with experience doing radio and TV interviews, supervising staff, and who was looking for a community service position that could utilize her accounting expertise? The Northwest Indiana Asset Building Campaign snapped up Ida Gillis in 2004 and asked her to help develop their program. Read more... back to top
New Resources
	City leaders build assets for low-income families The National League of Cities has sponsored a project to help municipal leaders take action toward helping low-income, working families build assets. Their website provides resource CD's with very comprehensive information about the following areas: financial education homeownership counseling and incentive programs asset accumulation programs and asset protection programs. More details from cities involved in the project above: Phoenix site visit on financial education Baltimore visit on homeownership counseling and incentives Indianapolis visit on asset accumulation and Miami visit on asset protection San Francisco culmination visit on multiple asset building strategies Curbing predatory lending Transcript from an audioconference conducted by National League of Cities that featured speakers working on financial education and on curbing predatory lending practices. Quality 2006 Quality Review of Free and Commercial Tax Preparers [DOC, 365KB, posted 7/13/06] Shows relative quality of free tax sites. Sponsored by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. 2006 Quality Review of EITC Campaigns [DOC, 330KB, posted 7/13/06] Identified two operational practices that improve quality. Sponsored by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Financial services for people with disabilities Learning Styles—Ensuring Accessible Financial Literacy [posted 7/13/06] Tips for asset building programs to improve access. Why Financial Education Matters for Americans with Disabiltiies [posted 7/13/06] An overview of the situation. Financial Literacy Information for Young People with Disabilities posted 7/13/06] Lists federal and state programs, other financial literacy resources. back to top
Job Openings
	Director of Tax Services The Director of Tax Services is responsible for expanding the Center for Economic Progress' Ilinois presence in providing services, and serving as a leader in the free tax preparation field nationwide. For more details, contact Greg Fields. Finance Manager Navajo Partnership for Housing, Inc. is a housing nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution serving residents on and near the Navajo Nation, based at Gallup, NM. It operates two VITA sites and is an affiliate of NeighborWorks America. Questions should be directed to Lanalle Smith or 505-722-0551. Operations Coordinator Provide technical assistance and support to city-wide free tax preparation program of Baltimore CASH Campaign. Candidates must have a bachelor's degree — preferably in accounting, law, or business, or have experience in accounting and tax preparation. Candidate must be self-starter with excellent computer and project management skills. $35-$40K, plus benefits. Send resume by Sept 6th to Joanna@mvlslaw.org or fax 410-837-0431 back to top
Calendar
	August Thursday, August 10 Free IRS phone forum will assist victims of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma claiming casualty and theft losses on their individual income tax returns. Register with access code 579244. Tuesday August 22—Thursday 24, IRS Tax Forum in Las Vegas, NV Tuesday August 29—Thursday 31, IRS Tax Forum in New York, NY September Tuesday, September 19—Thursday 21, CFED will host the 2006 Assets Learning Conference in Phoeniz, Ariz. The conference will cover a range of topics from mobilizing for advocacy, to leveraging the tax credit as an asset-building tool, and uncovering the latest strategies in reaching unbanked communities. Go to www.assetsconference.org for more information and to register. October Wednesday 11–Friday 13 Building Prosperity for Working Families conference in Los Angeles, hosted by the National Community Tax Coalition. back to top
This newsletter is sent to the National Community Tax Coalition affiliates. Forward it to a friend. For more information contact, Don Wedd.

© 2008 National Community Tax Coalition

Privacy Policy | Questions? | Contact Us »