Southeastern Participates in Tax Filing Assistance Program

by SOUTHEASTERN PUBLIC INFORMATION
March 25, 2008

DURANT, Okla. ­ Southeastern Oklahoma State University is once again participating in the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program.

Southeastern's John Massey School of Business is pleased to partner with Big Five Community Services on this project. Beth Parker is the VITA coordinator at Big Five. The VITA site is located in the Big Five facility at 1502 N. 1st Avenue in Durant. The VITA center opened Jan. 29 and will continue to be open on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. through April 14.

VITA is a national program supported by the Internal Revenue Service. It is designed to provide free tax assistance to individuals with basic tax returns. The returns done in the VITA center will be e-filed. SOSU student volunteers, along with Ms. Parker's team of volunteers, will provide this service.

"I see the program as a win-win situation," said Ed Hobbs, CPA in SOSU's Department of Accounting. "It is a benefit to the community, Southeastern, the students, and it gives us an opportunity to partner with Big Five Community Services. "The student volunteers are advanced accounting majors who have taken the University's individual income tax course," Hobbs noted. "They have also attended an 8-hour seminar where they cover a 300-plus-page course book supplied by the IRS, identify issues they will likely encounter at the VITA center, and receive training on the tax software they will be using. It is apparent to me that the student volunteers are highly motivated to both excel in their future profession and to give assistance to their community."