VITA: Leadership in the Community Through Volunteering
Brady Measom
South Jordan, Utah
Accounting
Leadership
VITA: Leadership in the Community through Volunteering
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My project is through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program (VITA). The VITA program offers free tax services to people who make $54,000 or less. It is usually for elderly, disabled, limited English speakers, or college students. Volunteers become certified with the IRS to provide free basic income tax returns. It has been a blessing to many families and individuals across America.
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The first step I took during my project was to learn about tax law and learn the basics of tax returns. Next, I studied this information to understand it better and prepare myself for passing the tests to become IRS certified. Then I took and passed the exams. Once I successfully certified myself, I volunteered two to three times a week at SUU. I would prepare and converse with many different people every time I went. It was extremely fun to be able to meet and help people every week.
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Being an accounting student at SUU I had to take a tax class for one of my required courses. During this class we learned the basics of individual and company taxes. Part of the grade for this course was to participate in the VITA program. It sounded like a great opportunity to serve the Cedar City community. We only had to have 10 hours of VITA service for our grade in tax, but I enjoyed doing it enough that I decided to do it for 40+ hours for my EDGE project.
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The most challenging part of my project was the learning curve involved with doing income taxes for individuals. The first few times I went were very difficult. I did not feel completely prepared and had many questions. The first night I was there I only managed to do two peoples tax returns in four hours. As I continued to go it became easier and I learned a lot.
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My project benefitted many people in the Cedar City community. As I stated earlier, the VITA program is designed to help those who can't normally afford a tax professional. Professional tax services can cost thousands of dollars. Offering free services helped many save money and get healthy tax returns.
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Not only did my project benefit many others, but it also was beneficial to myself. I am an accounting major and tax is in that field. Through doing this project I was able to understand the tax field better and gain experience in it. It helped me to know with which direction to take my major. I was also benefitted by honing my leadership skills. It helped me lead others through tax returns and organize their personal income tax returns.
