Hawaiian nonprofit to prepare taxes for free with help from tax volunteers

HONOULU—Tax time again ... what you going do? The Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (CNHA) is recruiting volunteers to assist with the 2011 Tax Season.

In partnership with Hawaiian Community Assets and the Sovereign Councils of the Hawaiian Home Lands Assembly, CNHA operates five Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites across the state to help families file their income taxes for free. These families may claim Earned Income Tax Credits and Child Tax Credits that can be as high as $5,666 in 2011.

CNHA is a national, member-base 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to capacity building and providing support services to agencies and organizations focused primarily on Native communities in Hawaii and the Pacific.

“Historically, Hawaii residents leave $45 million dollars of unclaimed tax credits, on the table,” said Robin Puanani Danner, CNHA President and CEO. “By opening volunteer-run tax preparation sites across the state, we aim to help return the hard earned money back to working families. Last year, over 20 volunteers gave their time and knowledge to support the Campaign in a full range of capacities, ranging from tax preparation to data entry. As the 2011 tax season creeps up, we really hope that volunteers will come out and assist at one of our statewide sites.”

The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance sites will begin free tax preparations in the first week of February 2011.  CNHA invites the community to take advantage of this service.

“We are looking for volunteers to do tax preparation,” said Kapu Gaison, CNHA Community Development Specialist. “Experience is not necessary. We have all the resources to get you certified, and we try to make it as easy as possible by providing helpful staff in a comfortable environment. Plus, you will get to give back to the Hawaiian community and include ‘certified tax preparation’ on your resume.”

CNHA’s five VITA sites for the 2011 Tax Season are located in Kakaako and Waimanalo on Oahu, Anahola on Kauai, and Hilo and Pahoa on Hawaii Island. To sign up to be a volunteer, or to get your FREE tax preparation at a CNHA VITA site, contact Kapu Gaison at (808) 596.8155, toll-free at 1 (800) 709.2642 or via email at [email protected].

For more information visit www.hawaiiancouncil.org.