Porter Students Save Tax Prep Fees

Tax season for the Porter High School Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Club has come to a successful end. A total of 26 student volunteers, certified as Basic Tax Preparers, completed 107 returns saving $10,000 in tax preparations fees for taxpayers whose adjusted gross income was $49,000 or less. Income credits hit $140,833.00 and refund amounts totaled $259,081.00. Porter High School is the only Brownsville school to offer this free financial assistance. Students rigorously trained for 12 consecutive weeks and attended a mandatory 8-hour training conducted by an Internal Revenue Service agent and UTB business and accounting professors. This is VITA’s third year of operation and best year to date. In 2010, the Porter VITA site was audited by the IRS and received excellent marks making it a model program in Texas. The VITA club and site services are sponsored by Alberto Velez, a Porter business teacher.