Outreach Campaign Generates $17.9 Million For Over 12,000 Working Delawareans
Delaware State Treasurer Jack Markell joined with Mary Dupont, Executive Director of Wilmington's Nehemiah Gateway Community Development Corporation to announce that the sixth annual Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) campaign generated $17.9 million by providing free tax preparation for 12,042 working Delawareans, a significant increase over last year.
"I'm delighted to announce that the 2006 EITC campaign has put more than $17 million in refunds back where it belongs -- into the pockets of working Delawareans," Mr. Markell stated. "This campaign isn't just about the EITC, but also about the many different tax credits that working families don't always know about. What we are doing is reuniting these families with what is already theirs, and I'm pleased that this annual effort has returned so much to so many."
The Federal Earned Income Tax Credit is widely regarded as the nation's most effective program at lifting working families out of poverty. The net effect that is if a worker makes $7.00 per hour and claims the full credit, that it essentially increases their hourly wage to $9.00.
The EITC Campaign which is coordinated by Wilmington-based Nehemiah Gateway Community Development Corporation is supported by a wide coalition of community, business, and faith based organizations, promotes work by increasing the incomes of low-wage workers through a refundable tax credit. The EITC is available to households with incomes at or below $40,000. The refundable credit can total up to about $4,500 annually, depending on income and the number of children in the family.
More than 395 volunteers at 19 locations across Delaware volunteered long hours to prepare the taxes and to link those eligible to other services such as financial education, access to low-cost loans for automobiles, matched savings accounts and many other services.
"We were excited about the new financial services that we were able to offer to our customers this year including savings accounts and certificates of deposit to help people save some of their refund," Mrs. Dupont said. "We also provided over 2,500 free merged scored credit reports to our customers this year, and we were surprised to see how interested the community is in the role that credit and credit scores play in their financial lives."
To learn more about the EITC or to become a volunteer for next tax season's campaign, please call the Nehemiah Gateway Community Development Corporation at 302/655-0803.
