Friday, January 29, 2010

Free Tax Preparation Sites

Every year, the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and the Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) programs offer free tax help for taxpayers who qualify. VITA offers help to low- to moderate-income (generally $49,000 and below) people who cannot prepare their own tax returns. TCE provides free tax help to people aged 60 and older.

Below is the link to the Coalition for Family Economic Progress's site. They have been part of the VITA program since 2006. You'll find a list of the tax preparation sites by location, as well as a downloadable PDF with more detailed information. Feel free to contact us if you have any other questions. While we cannot assist you with your taxes, we are happy to print out any tax forms you may need, free of charge.

http://www.freetaxeselpaso.org/freetaxsites.html

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Thursday, January 7, 2010

Resolutions You Can Accomplish

The year has just begun and there's already so much going on at the library! We think your first New Year's resolution should be to visit the library more!

Here's a list of resolutions that you can actually accomplish this month:
1. Do something for the community.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Canned Food Drive January 7-18
All of the public libraries will be accepting non-perishable canned or dried food. The food will be distributed to the Salvation Army, Opportunity Center, EP Rescue Mission, Center Against Family Violence, and more.

2. Catch up on the movies you missed in 2009 (or watch them again).
We'll be showing movies and serving popcorn on Saturdays @ 3 p.m. This month's lineup features some new family favorites. Next month's movies will feature a little romance.
January 16 Up
January 23 G-Force
January 30 Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

3. Enter a contest or encourage someone to enter.
The deadline to enter our annual Youth Poetry Contest is Saturday, January 30. Youth in grades 1st-12th can enter original poetry in English or Spanish. Entry forms can be picked up and returned at any public library. Details

4. Start on your taxes.
We have received the following forms and instruction booklets at our branch:
1040, 1040A, and 1040EZ. All other forms can be found at www.irs.gov. We can help you find the form you're looking for and print it out for free!

5. Follow us on Twitter. www.twitter.com/elpasolibrary
The El Paso Public Library System launched its Twitter account this past month! We tweet about citywide library events, updates, fun facts, and more. Check it out, even if you're not on Twitter. You can also friend us on Facebook or MySpace (teens only).