Free tax prep sites!

I've been reading David Shipler lately, who devotes a chapter of his 2004 book to the perils of tax season: Starting in January, thousands flock to the tax preparers who set up shop in low-income neighborhoods and charge fees to those who really should be able to do their own taxes for free. Many people don't even know they can get a check from the government in the form of the earned income tax credit–as long as they file taxes in the first place.

For the last decade or so, the D.C. Earned Income Tax Credit campaign has been working to educate lower income earners about how to do taxes themselves and then reap the rewards they're due. This year, there are six sites in D.C. where individuals who make less than $22,000 per year can go their taxes prepared for free by trained volunteers, open at different days and times. On top of that, there's a free tax preparation and financial services fair at the Convention Center at the end of February, and if you're the starving artist type, Cultural Development Coporation is offering a tax prep workshop tomorrow morning (register by today at 5:00 p.m.).

Really no excuse to pay more than you already have to!

(Lydia DePillis)

Dang, a lot didn't fit into last week's piece about H Street NE real estate. Just a couple more tidbits I thought were interesting:

• On the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs' last count of vacant properties, 27 H Street NE addresses made the list with no exemption. Five made the list of vacant properties with exemptions.
• According to the Office of the Chief Financial Officer, 574 addresses abutting H Street NE appealed their property tax assessments in tax year 2011.

One in five District owners is delinquent in property taxes, according to city Chief Financial Officer Nat Gandhi.  This startling stat was revealed last week in an Associated Press story, but the piece didn't get into the nitty gritty of just what happens next.

Well for a cautionary tale, look at Hagerstown, Maryland—the local county government is slated to auction 170 properties there today. All of the owners are delinquent on their taxes. Originally, 315 properties were advertised in early June as part of the sale.

Obviously, the property-owners are given plenty of advance notice that they've, oh, forgotten to send in a little something. They receive notices in July, January, February, March and April. Then, in June, their homes are advertised for sale. After the auction, the property doesn't immediately fall into the hands of the highest bidder, according to the story:

The high bidder on each property will receive a certificate of sale and will have the right to file for foreclosure if the debtor fails to pay the taxes owed within six months, Hershey said...“After the sale, most people come in and correct the problem,” Hershey said. “Ninety percent (of the properties) typically are redeemed.”

Image by Darrow Montgomery