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News Release - Hawaii State LegislatureFebruary 2, 2012- For immediate release

FREE FEDERAL AND STATE TAX PREPARATION AND FILING

AT THE STATE CAPITOL BY IRS-CERTIFIED VOLUNTEERS

Honolulu, Hawaii. On Saturday, February 4, 2012, from 9 am to 2 pm, IRS-certified volunteers

will assist taxpayers with filing their federal and state income tax returns free of charge in

conference room 325 of the Hawaii State Capitol. In partnership with the Hawaii Alliance for

Community-Based Economic Development (HACBED) and its partner organizations, state

legislators are hosting this special tax clinic to provide low-to-moderate income taxpayers with

an opportunity to receive assistance from trained volunteers, who will help taxpayers save

money through free taxing filing services and by claiming valuable tax credits. This event at theCapitol is an effort by state legislators to kick off the 2012 tax season.

Since the 2006 tax season, HACBED, its community partners and volunteers have helped low-to-

moderate income taxpayers claim almost $16 million in tax refunds, including $6.4 million in

Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credits, and saved these taxpayers more than

$1.9 million in tax preparation costs.

State legislators sponsoring this free tax clinic at the State Capitol are: House Speaker Calvin

Say, Representative Della Au Belatti, Representative Karl Rhoads, Representative Sylvia Luke,

Representative Scott Saiki, Representative Scott Nishimoto, Senator Suzanne Chun Oakland,Senator Brickwood Galuteria, Senator Michelle Kidani and Senator Mike Gabbard.

Tax preparation sessions are confidential and safe. All tax returns will be prepared by IRS-

certified volunteers who volunteer at other sites coordinated by HACBED's Family and

Individual Self-Sufficiency Program.

The program started offering free tax assistance services to low-to-moderate income workers

at four permanent sites in 2005 when it was first established under Aloha United Way. Today,

this statewide program recruits volunteers and coordinates efforts at more than 40 sites and

clinics that are sponsored by non-profit organizations, educational institutions, and businesses.

Some of the program's community partners include Alulike, Inc., Goodwill Industries, Honolulu

Community Action Program, INGDirect, Kauai Tax Prep, KEY Project, Leeward CommunityCollege & UH West Oahu, Volunteer Legal Services Hawaii, and several credit unions in Kekaha,

Hickam, and Maui.

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Page 2 - FREE FEDERAL AND STATE TAX PREPARATION AND FILING AT THE STATE CAPITOL BY

IRS-CERTIFIED VOLUNTEERS

For more information about the special clinic at the Hawaii State Capitol and to make an

appointment, taxpayers should call 808-381-0881. Parking is available in the blue-metered

public stalls in the Capitol's basement.

To locate other free tax assistance sites, taxpayers can call Aloha United Way's Helpline at 2-1-

1. For a complete list of tax sites on Oahu, Big Island, Maui, and Kauai, and more information

about HACBED's Family and Individual Self-Sufficiency Program, taxpayers should visit the

Program's website at www.hawaiitaxhelp.org or email info@hawaiitaxhelp.org.

The Family and Individual Self-Sufficiency Program became a part of the HACBED in July 2009.

It was established to coordinate, support, and expand free tax assistance service to low-to-

moderate income workers and to help them claim valuable tax credits such as the EITC.

HACBED is a statewide federally tax-exempt non-profit organization established in 1992 to

encourage increased investments in sustainable and community-based approaches to economic

development. Its mission is to maximize the effectiveness of people working in communities

and the non-profit sector to build a healthier and safer Hawai`i through community-based

economic development.

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Contacts:Office of Representative Della Au Belatti

808-956-9425

Office of Suzanne Chun Oakland

808-586-6130