Free tax prep service remains available, but in-person help from Erie Free Taxes is gone

Erie Free Taxes, a program that's provided free tax return services to thousands of lower-income Erie County residents, is no longer being offered.

The United Way of Erie County, which had run the program since 2010, has stepped back from that role to focus on its core mission.

In an online post, the United Way announced: "After much consideration, United Way has decided it will no longer continue in the role of IRS VITA Grant applicant/recipient and Erie County coalition leader."

Free tax preparation services will still be available, but not in person, said Laurie Root, president of the United Way.

Instead, the United Way is pointing residents to MyFreeTaxes, a free online tax preparation service that taxpayers of any income level can use to prepare their tax returns. The program is sponsored by United Way Worldwide.

"There is still free tax preparation available," Root said. "And it's available to anyone, regardless of income level. It's secure, confidential and available 24/7."

And while the program requires online access, the United Way points out that taxpayers who don't have access to a computer can use computers at Erie County Public Library locations.

The situation raises questions about how many people would consider accessing the internet to be a major stumbling block.

Despite the availability of online services, volunteers with Erie Free Taxes helped to prepare 6,900 tax returns last year.

Computer literacy on the rise

Root said she believes the number of people who can't navigate on online program is comparatively small.

"The pool of people who are not tech savvy is getting smaller every year," she said in an interview with the Erie Times-News. "It's a trend nationwide of moving to the online platform rather than the in-person."

Assistance for MyFreeTaxes is available both online and by telephone.

Like Root, Mike Jaruszewicz, senior vice president for community impact for the United Way, sees the problem of technology-challenged taxpayers as a problem on the decline.

"I think people have been moving toward doing it themselves," he said. "Again, it's a trend that is not going to stop. It's a very simple process."

Why the change?

The local United Way has changed its focus in recent years, moving away from dispensing grants to a long list of organizations, and focusing instead on a stated goal of "crushing poverty."

Reaching that goal has centered around a growing commitment to community schools — a strategy adopted by the United Way of Erie County in 2016. Community schools work to remove barriers to education by providing after-school programs for low-income children as well as in-school access to social services, medical and dental care.

Root said last summer that the United Way is working to establish an endowment that would fund all the community schools in Erie County, including 13 in the Erie School District and one each in Iroquois, Girard and Union City Area school districts.

A focused mission

Both Root and Jaruszewicz expressed pride in the work the United Way has done through Erie Free Taxes.

But aside from a handful of programs, including support for the 211 Helpline and the Imagination Library, which provides free books to children up to the age of 5, community schools remain the organization's main focus.

"Our mission is very focused on the community schools initiative and breaking that generational cycle of poverty. That has to be our top priority," Jaruszewicz said. "We are very committed to that."

The days of the local United Way supporting a long list of local charities "no longer exists," he said. "The laser focus on education (fills) the vast majority of our time."

Bates understands but doesn't agree

Cheryl Bates, who was the United Way's program director for Erie Free Taxes from 2010 until her retirement in 2021, said she understands and respects the United Way's decision to focus on community schools.

"It's a really challenging issue because any organization where the goal is to crush poverty, it's a very long-term goal," Bates said. "You are talking about at least a generation."

She said that providing free tax preparation services to low-income taxpayers also played a role in addressing poverty by helping return millions of dollars to Erie through the low income tax credit.

More: $2 million grant from Erie Community Foundation will launch community school at Erie High

More: 'Crushing poverty' is the goal of Erie's United Way. Is it making progress?

Through a network of volunteers, typically more than a hundred annually, "We reached thousands of tax filers over the years and the program returned millions of dollars to tax filers in our community," Bates said.

She acknowledged that free tax services are still available through MyFreeTaxes, which sets no limits on the income of the tax filer.

But she doesn't believe computer-based programs work for everyone.

"When you think of it, for some of the people we deal with that would be a very difficult challenge," Bates said. "You have people who don't trust computers."

A matter of trust

Over time, she said, the volunteers of Erie Free Taxes, whose work was reviewed by skilled tax preparers, developed trust with their clients.

"We would see many of these people come back year after year," Bates said. "They were treated with respect and kindness. It was an important goal of ours not only to provide a community service, but also a concern for the individual."

Both Root and Bates say this isn't necessarily the end of free in-person tax preparation service through the Internal Revenue Service's VITA or Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program.

Looking for someone to step in

But it would take some effort to recreate the program, which offered appointments at locations throughout the county.

"I believe it's possible that another location or organization or could pick it up," Bates said.

"There has to be an organization that could put the time into it and devote resources. Even though it's an IRS program, there are still costs to whomever runs the program," she said.

Bates said she understands it was no longer a good fit for the United Way.

"I won't take anything away from United Way in that regard," Bates said. "They had to make a decision based on a lot of different facts."

That doesn't mean she believes MyFreeTaxes is a substitute for an in-person service, especially for people who are unfamiliar with computers or uncomfortable dealing with the IRS.

"I supposed the people who are most impacted are those who need it the most," she said. "For some of them, the challenge of having to deal with the IRS on their own can be almost immobilizing. I am more than disappointed that the program doesn't exist any longer."

Contact Jim Martin at jmartin@timesnews.com.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: United Way discontinues Erie PA Free Taxes in favor of online program