City of Rochester News Release -- Almost $9 Million Returned to Local Residents through C.A.S.H. Tax Assistance Program

 

City of Rochester News Release -- Almost $9 Million Returned to Local Residents through C.A.S.H. Tax Assistance Program This Year


(Monday, June 10, 2019) – The C.A.S.H. tax assistance program based at the City of Rochester’s Downtown Central Library helped more than 7,400 families obtain $8.8 million in tax refunds during the 2019 tax season. The C.A.S.H. program is designed to boost the local economy by helping residents use their tax refunds to pay off debt and build savings. C.A.S.H. stands for Creating Assets, Savings and Hope and is a free tax assistance program available to eligible filers in New York State.

“More than 7,400 working families got the support they needed to qualify for the federal Earned Income Tax Credit and other state and federal refunds,” said Mayor Lovely A. Warren. “Thanks to C.A.S.H. and its trained volunteers, our residents got the money back that they earned without paying millions in tax preparation fees. For many working families, these refunds are crucial to achieving greater financial stability. C.A.S.H. has once again proved itself to be a life-changing program for our citizens and I want to thank Director Berta Rivera, her staff and volunteers for their hard work.”

 This year, Mayor Lovely A. Warren made the Downtown Central Library available for the C.A.S.H. program for this tax season. C.A.S.H. staff trained and supervised volunteer tax preparers, including some city employees, who provided assistance at no cost to help qualifying families.

The United Way, a longtime supporter of the C.A.S.H. program, also contributed through its free online tax filing program. Volunteers provided in-person help to those using the United Way-sponsored platform at the Central Library and at the City of Rochester’s new Business and Community Services Center.

In total, C.A.S.H. reported it helped 7,474 families receive a total of over $8.8 million in refunds with $3.9 million coming from the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), saving them a total of $1.8 million in tax preparation fees in 2019. Volunteers, including city employees, contributed 7,936 volunteer hours this year.


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News Media: For more information, contact Jessica Alaimo at 428-7135