Honors first-year Michael Peters has committed himself to reinstating Pace University’s Voluntary Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program in an effort to serve the student and low-income population on and around campus.
VITA is an IRS-sponsored service that certifies its volunteers in preparing and filing tax forms using a specialized software that simplifies and expedites the completion of tax forms for free.
This will allow student volunteers to give back to their community by providing tax help to peers as they learn how to do their taxes for the first time, as well as to families in the surrounding areas who cannot afford the time or money to receive such help from other, much more expensive means.
“I am staunchly against TurboTax,” Peters announces, as he laments the exorbitant prices charged to use its underwhelming services that cause its users to miss out on potential refunds and open the opportunity for user error that could cost its customers even more time and money down the line.
It is at this junction that Peters introduces the free software provided by—but also exclusive to—the IRS’s VITA and TCE (Tax Counseling for the Elderly) programs. After passing an exam, a student volunteer receives certification in and access to the straightforward and practical software, as well as opportunities to acclimate to the software with no monetary consequences in a practice version of the tool. To quash any anxiety at the word “exam,” Peters certifies that the studying process is assisted by Link & Learn, a self-paced online program that instructs volunteers in the return preparation process, as well as in the tax law involved in filing tax returns for others.
While Peters asserts that the free and simple software should be more accessible to civilians regardless of VITA certifications or eligibility, he has decided to revive the VITA program at Pace—where it has remained inactive since COVID—as a way to bring the software and its services to as many eligible people as possible. His plans for the coming year are to “have the most bare-bones VITA site up and running by 2025, so that we have people in the [room], filing tax returns.”
Though he has made a good start, Peters has a long way to go to reach that goal. In the past few weeks, he has opened communications with Pace’s Beta Alpha Psi chapter and was met with interest from faculty advisor Dr. Myo Jung Cho, but with few student volunteers to join him. Peters plans to solicit help from members of Pace organizations like Beta Alpha Psi and Women In Economics as well as from off-campus organizations like churches to form a congregation of people who are interested in volunteering.
VITA offers some valuable incentives to potential student volunteers, according to Peters. For one thing, joining an IRS-sponsored program will undoubtedly allow students to form a working relationship with the IRS, opening the opportunity for internships and further employment. Acquiring an understanding of tax law and abilities for reasoning and math on a financial level will aid Finance, Accounting, and Economics students as they apply for internships and jobs in the finance and accounting fields. Further, experience in working with a diverse group of people and skills in using a complex, exclusive, government-issued software are two resume additions that would make any candidate stand out, regardless of industry or field. As a last incentive, Peters addresses the Pace student body to proclaim, “I promise to have food for you if you come to [VITA] events.”
In order to get his message out to potential customers of Pace’s VITA site, Peters plans to use social media and physical advertising to partner with surrounding churches and businesses to connect VITA’s services with as many students and low-income families as possible. He intends to visit Pace first-years in their UNV101 (First Year Seminar: Introduction to University Life) courses to inform them about the aid offered as well as about the opportunity to join VITA.
In learning of his passion for the VITA program—in which he has participated since high school—it is to be expected that Peters aims to hold his leadership position throughout his tenure at Pace—but this is not the case. Despite his extensive knowledge of and experience in tax law and filing tax forms, Peters has less interest in pursuing finance or accounting as a career than in engaging philanthropic projects, social justice, and finding solutions for others’ issues. As such, he hopes to get the program started within the next year, then pass leadership off to other students who will commit themselves to keeping an ongoing chain of passionate leadership like himself.
While participating in the VITA program is his way of showing his commitment to his community, and of meeting and connecting with new people, he also understands the skill-building opportunities for future Pace Finance and Accounting students to earn leadership and management experience. At the end of the day, Peters cares less about leaving some accounting legacy, and more about helping others gain experience and get their taxes filed for free: “I want the people helped.”
If you’re interested in joining the VITA program, please reach out to Michael Peters at mp43061n@pace.edu!