On January 27th, Senator Carol Liu, California of Community Services and Development (CSD) Interim Director John A. Wagner, California State Board of Equalization Chairman Jerome E. Horton and California/Nevada Community Action partnership (Cal/Neva) Program Manager Lynn Grogan gathered at the Center’s Monrovia facility for a media event highlighting Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Awareness Day.
Foothill Unity Center offers its clients volunteer help with income taxes, including information on filing for EITC — a refundable federal income tax credit that helps low to moderate income working individuals and families keep more of what they earn. EITC is one of the largest and most successful antipoverty programs in the nation, but an estimated 8000,000 eligible Californians did not claim $1.2 billion in refunds in 2009.
The average amount claimed in California was $2,229, but a qualifying family could receive as much as $5,751. “For a very low-income family, receiving this credit can be a life changing event that helps them move back to self-sufficiency,” said the Center’s Joan Whitenack. “Because those dollars will be spent in the community, they also help the local economy, meaning more people may keep their jobs.”
“Today we are urging all eligible Californians to file a tax return and claim the tax benefits already earned through EITC,” said Wagner. “When federal refunds are clained, low-income, working families win, Californian Businesses win and the local economy wins.”