Staff Report
For the past 30 years, Albuquerque's low-income and elderly residents have had one less worry as TVI accounting students have prepared their taxes for them free of charge.
TAX HELP NM, a collaborative program between the Technical Vocational Institute and PNM, allows the schools aspiring business students a chance to gain real world experience in their chosen profession while lending a hand to those in need, said Fred Gordon, the program's supervisor in a news release.
Gordon said more than 500 tax returns have already been filed this year since the program started on Feb. 2.
The program, part of the larger Internal Revenue Service's Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, expects to complete more than 10,000 tax forms this year.
"It's a win-win situation for all involved," Gordon said in a news release. "The students learn the process of accounting, and the people we help receive a top-notch, quality service."
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
He said the program is being offered at several locations across the city, including Del Norte High School, the Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce and New Mexico's IRS Department.
Gordon said more than 200 accounting and business students from TVI participate in the program every year, gaining invaluable knowledge in the process.
"It's one thing to take an accounting class and read accounting books," he said in the news release. "It's another to actually get to work with people in various financial situations."
Gordon said TAX HELP NM operates on a yearly budget of $50,000 funded by federal and private grants. PNM, he said, donated an additional $30,000 this year, prompting the program's coordinators to consider expanding it further.
The money goes toward paying class materials and tax filing programs, Gordon said.
To qualify for the program, participants must be at least 65 years old or have an annual household income of less than $35,000 per year.
