WKSU News: Sen. Sherrod Brown wants more low-income Ohioans to claim tax credits they're due

Wednesday, January 27, 2016 Sen. Sherrod Brown wants more low-income Ohioans to claim tax credits they're due Brown is also touting free tax assistance sites throughout the state by WKSU's KABIR BHATIA	Reporter Kabir Bhatia

The VITA program has dozens of sites in Ohio that offer free tax help.

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Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown is trying to spread the word about tax credits for low-income Americans. WKSU's Kabir Bhatia reports.

LISTEN: Sen. Sherrod Brown wants more low-income Ohioans to claim tax credits they're due

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IRS records show that 27 million people claimed the Earned Income Tax Credit last year, close to one million of them were in Ohio, where households got an average of $2,400 each. The credit typically is available to taxpayers making less than about $53,000 a year. But Sen. Brown says one in five eligible taxpayers fails to claim the credit, and free help is available.

“The IRS Free File program is available at IRS.gov: commercial partners of the IRS offer free brand-name software to individuals and families with incomes of less than $62,000.”

Brown's office has put together a map of sites for free tax help under the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, or VITA.

“The criticism I hear of EITC is, oftentimes the forms aren’t filled out properly. So I would just encourage people to use the VITA sites.”

Last year, Brown pushed to make permanent extensions of the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit, parts of which would have expired by 2017.

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