The South Texas College Mid-Valley campus is now offering free tax preparation services to area residents who qualify. This is the first time the Volunteer Income Tax Assistant program is offered in the Weslaco area, according to faculty advisor Cynthia Sanchez.

“We are joining efforts with United Way of South Texas to run the VITA program here at the Mid-Valley campus,” Sanchez said. “It’s exciting to introduce the program because it opens up these resources to this part of the Valley. This community will really benefit from it.”

The VITA program has long assisted communities across the Rio Grande Valley by offering free tax preparation for those who make $60,000 or less, people with disabilities or limited English-speaking taxpayers.

STC’s only other VITA site is at the Pecan campus in McAllen, which has helped taxpayers since 1993.

VITA Office Specifics

The STC Mid-Valley VITA office is open two days a week until March 8, Salinas said.

Office hours are 9 a.m. to noon on Mondays and 4-7 p.m. on Wednesdays. The office is on the Mid-Valley campus in Building B, Room 202.

The VITA program will also give STC students the opportunity to work in a professional environment, Sanchez said. Many of her business students seek the opportunity of taking their classroom lessons and earning valuable real-world experience.

This will be the first time STC Business major Joe De La Garza will serve as a VITA volunteer.

“I always had a curiosity about how taxes are done,” De La Garza said. “At the end of the day, everyone dreads doing taxes. So, I wanted to build my learning ability and strengthen my own research skills. And, at the end of the day, there’s a need for more resources, especially in this part of the Valley. Everyone is usually focused on the bigger towns, so offering this here, where people can just come in, is important.”

An Educational Experience

The IRS manages all VITA programs, including the one at STC, with the help of the United Way. IRS-certified volunteers also staff the sites, providing tax counseling.

“Once they get certified, they are certified IRS tax preparers,” Sanchez said. “I tell them that they must be resourceful. They have to know how to research, because tax law is extensive. The umbrella is so vast and it changes all the time. Their job is not necessarily to know the tax law verbatim, but to be able to find out what the law is and how to apply it to their client.”

STC Accounting student Jason Rodriguez said he’s looking forward to diving into the different needs of each unique client and familiarizing himself with the publications the IRS provides.

“The publications are 400-500 pages long, so we have to go and find exactly what is needed to apply to a client or person you’re helping,” Rodriguez said. “It’s meticulous work, I would say. You have to make sure what you’re doing is correct and right for that client.”