WACO, Texas (KXXV) — Baylor University's volunteer income tax assistance program gives future CPA's hands-on experience helping our community members file their tax returns, all for free.
- The university's volunteer income tax assistance program gives college and high school students a chance to help our neighbors with their tax returns, all while giving them an inside look at how the process is done.
- Students will be on campus through 7:00 pm on Tuesday, April 15th.
- The last day to file your tax returns is Tuesday, April 15th.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Lauren Farish knows a thing or two about taxes.
“I'm a clinical assistant professor at Baylor University. I have a master's in taxation, and I have a CPA,” Farish said.
So she was asked why people wait until the last minute to file.
“I think they're probably maybe a little afraid of do I owe more money or maybe they're just uncertain they don't know about taxes or feel like they don't know enough— so they're going to push it off if I don't think about it I don't have to worry about what I maybe know or don't know and the uncertainty of not knowing something tends to make people push things off,” Farish said.
She has her students serve our neighbors by filing their taxes for free to keep our community from putting it off.
“The volunteer income tax assistance program that yeah, it's a huge program here in Waco. We help hundreds of people here in the community every year file their tax returns," Farish said. "So it is students here from Baylor and at our local high schools that help file tax returns help prepare the paperwork help local people pull together their data so people that have their shoe boxes of receipts, you know, they come in with them, we help them pull together what they need and our students realize these are real human beings that their knowledge just from being in regular college classes they can help out in a very impactful way."
Helping our community and getting the real-life tax filing experience needed for future careers.
“Our students recognize I can serve I can use my skills and my non accounting skills to give back and it's huge,” Farish said.
