Iowa Legal Aid (ILA) created the Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC) through a grant from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to inform individuals about their tax rights and responsibilities. This program has two primary goals. First, this clinic's focus is to provide legal assistance and tax education to taxpayers who speak English as a second language (ESL) on a wide array of topics including the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). EITC is a refundable tax credit that supplements the earnings of low-income workers. Second, the ILA lawyers make referrals and represent individuals who are in the midst of controversies with the IRS. To realize these goals, ILA conducts community education presentations to ESL communities throughout Iowa as well as other providers of services to low-income Iowans and ESL communities. Church groups and community colleges have been very receptive to working with this program. In 2007, ILA provided legal assistance or referral in 264 cases and consultations. In addition, almost 600 ESL taxpayers participated in ILA's continuing legal education events.
Below you can access ILA narrative on the LITC. The narrative provides background information on the program and includes helpful information such as sample brochures in English, Spanish, and Bosnian in addition to articles published in ILA's Equal Justice Journal and in other local newspapers.
Contact Information:
Tamara Borland Iowa Legal Aid 430 Iowa Avenue Iowa City, Iowa 52240 Phone: (319) 351-6570 tborland@iowalaw.org
LSC:
America's Partner for Equal Justice 