A team of graduate students will make recommendations on reforming tax preparation services in Arkansas as a result of research regarding the utilization of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) in the state.
Clinton School students Kayla Brooks of Memphis, Tenn., John Delurey of Winchester, Mass., Nate Kennedy of Poplar Bluff, Mo., and Nicole Maddox of Pine Bluff, Ark., collaborated with Arkansas Advocates for Children & Families (AACF) to explore the varying claim rates of the EITC and identify ways to improve tax preparation services.
The EITC rewards working families with a tax credit to alleviate the burden of larger expenditures like health care, education, childcare, housing and other needs. The project’s recommendations are designed to improve the accessibility and sustainability of tax preparation services that help eligible working families to maximize the value of the credit.
“This project came together after we sat down and said, ‘What can we do to impact poverty in Arkansas?” said Skip Rutherford, Dean of the Clinton School. “The Earned Income Tax Credit is underutilized in our state and we hope this work will help raise awareness for its benefits.”
The students’ research focused on three Arkansas counties that are representative of state demographics and of the varying EITC claim rates across the state. In Garland, Phillips, and Pulaski Counties the students interviewed tax preparers with the IRS’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program and AARP Foundation’s free tax sites as well as independent preparers and national chains.
“With 26 percent of children in Arkansas living in poverty, we must act. The EITC helps families move out of poverty and toward a more stable life. By emphasizing work, the EITC rewards people that are willing to work hard and play by the rules,” said Brett Kincaid, outreach director at AACF and supervisor of the research project.
The goal of the presentation is to inform stakeholders around tax preparation services in Arkansas and facilitate a conversation that will generate ideas to reform tax services for low- to moderate-income working families. Recommendations include creating a sustainable non-profit tax preparation service. The team will also produce a report with recommendations for improving the EITC.
The Clinton School team will present their findings and recommendations at 12:00 p.m. on April 18. If you are interested in joining the conversation, please contact Kayla Brooks at ktbrooks@clintonschool.uasys.edu.
The students completed the project as part of the Clinton School’s Practicum program, the first of three field service projects in the Master of Public Service degree program.
About Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families
Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families is a statewide, non-profit child advocacy organization established in 1977. Their mission is to ensure that all children and their families have the resources and opportunities to lead healthy and productive lives and realize their full potential. Their work includes protecting children, improving children’s health, fighting for early education and out-of school opportunities, and promoting economic security. More information is available at www.aradvocates.org.
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