Migrant Farm Worker Tax Clinic

Pennsylvania Farm Worker Project and the Philadelphia Volunteers for the Indigent Program - 030091

Abstract Number: 030091

January 2003

The Pennsylvania Farm Worker Project of Philadelphia Legal Assistance (PLA) and the Philadelphia Volunteers for the Indigent Program (VIP) implemented a Low Income Tax Clinic to provide culturally sensitive assistance with tax controversies, free income tax preparation and community education to low-income migrant farm workers. This project targets the farm worker population living in the vicinity of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, the self-proclaimed mushroom capital of the world. Mushrooms grow year round supplying stable employment for farm workers living in and around Kennett Square. The availability of employment on a year round basis results in a more settled farm worker population unlike the seasonal farm worker population present in Pennsylvania during the various harvest seasons that run from July through November. To serve these clients, PLA operates a tax clinic from February to April 15 in a local senior center every Saturday. The clinic is staffed by volunteers ranging from tax accountants to high school students.

PLA began providing services to farm workers in Kennett Square in 1997 and soon realized the farm worker community was facing a wide range of tax controversies arising from the denial of the earned income tax credit and dependency exemptions. The chronic lack of Spanish speaking professional tax preparer also provided the monolingual farm worker community with substantial barriers to quality tax assistance.

Since the clinic's founding, the primary focus of the clinic has evolved from providing representation in tax controversies to focusing on preventive tax preparation through community outreach and education. Each client who participates in the tax clinic receives a community education component that covers the taxpayer's rights and responsibilities. This clinic is supported with a grant from the IRS.

Contact Information:

Iris Coloma-Gaines
Supervising Attorney
Pennsylvania Farmworker Project of
Philadelphia Legal Assistance Center
1424 Chestnut Street, 2nd Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19102
Phone: (215) 981-3800
Fax: (215) 981-3860
Email

Additional Information:

• Migrant Farm Worker Tax Clinic Flyer

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