Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Site Posts Banner Year

The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) site at St. Mary’s University had a milestone 2013 tax season.

It processed about 1,200 tax returns, which resulted in refunds of more than $2 million for the community, breaking records in both categories.

More than 100 students, faculty, alumni and other volunteers contributed 4,386 hours of service in preparing tax returns for low-income taxpayers primarily from San Antonio’s West Side. The Bill Greehey School of Business and the St. Mary’s School of Law‘s Center for Legal and Social Justice played key roles in the effort.

The VITA Program, supported by Wells Fargo, finished its 11^th consecutive year of operation at St. Mary’s, but this was the first year the program received grant support from the IRS.

The St. Mary’s VITA site operates on Saturdays during tax season at the Center for Legal and Social Justice (CLSJ), 2507 NW 36^th St. It’s the only VITA site in San Antonio that offers free year-round preparation of past due/amended returns. There are also four mobile sites that serve people in Laredo, Eagle Pass and the Haven for Hope shelter.

The site is under the supervision of Associate Dean Ana Novoa, J.D., Professor of Law and Associate Dean for Clinical Education and Public Interest for the School of Law, and Tom Madison, Ph.D., CPA, Professor and Chair of Accounting for the Bill Greehey School of Business. Co-managers of the site are Rachael Rubenstein, J.D., a Senior Tax Fellow at the CLSJ, and Nicole Monsibais, J.D., a Clinical Administration Fellow at the CLSJ.

St. Mary’s University is committed to assisting small businesses with tax return preparation, legal representation and financial management. The University has been nationally recognized for its commitment to service and community engagement.