H.R. to Make Permanent Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Matching Grant Program

Floor Speech

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Ms. SEWELL of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2901, to make permanent the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) matching grant program.

The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program assists low-to- moderate income, elderly, disabled, and limited English speaking taxpayers in preparing and filing their federal income tax returns.

Since fiscal year 2008, Congress has used the appropriations process to provide funding for the Community VITA matching grants program for tax return preparation assistance.

But Congress has not authorized the VITA program to receive grants through the tax-writing process.

This bill puts the VITA grant program on more solid, permanent, and predictable footing.

Without this bill, the IRS has administered the VITA grant program narrowly, restricting grantees' ability to use grant funds to hire experts to train volunteers and perform quality reviews as well as to serve as Certified Acceptance Agents.

As a result, few VITA grantees assist low income self-employed taxpayers who file as pass-throughs, or low income taxpayers with disaster losses.

Moreover, few VITA grantees are open year-round or assist taxpayers in preparing amended returns.

This bill will lead to a stronger VITA program that is able to help many more low-income Americans navigate the tax filing process.

I applaud the sponsors of this bill, Representatives Carlos Curbelo and Danny Davis for working together on this long overdue legislation.

As a cosponsor of H.R. 2901, I urge all my colleagues to vote yes on this sensible bill.

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