Tax Time: And the countdown continues Published Feb. 28, 2008 By Airman 1st Class Kali L. Gradishar 92nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. -- The end of February is not only significant because it is a Leap Year this time around, but also because the deadline for filing taxes is getting closer and closer. About a month into the tax season for Fairchild, Internal Revenue Service representative Brain Cahill made his way to the base to review the tax program. "As the relationship manager for the [Volunteer Income Tax Assistance] program, I came to see how the program was running," said Mr. Cahill. "This was a support visit to see how things were going, to discuss the experience with the program and to see how we can fine tune the program." From Jan. 28 to Feb. 28, Fairchild's tax program has assisted with the filing of 148 federal returns and 48 state returns. This amounts to a total savings of $34,574 by filing through the base for free as opposed to using outside resources for tax filing. In only one month, $372,326 dollars have been returned through federal files and $9,800 from state files, according to Tech. Sgt. Ronnie Flores, 92nd Air Refueling Wing legal assistance and preventative law NCOIC, also Fairchild's tax coordinator. "While Fairchild does not have a centralized tax site, VITAs prepare returns at their unit. This is a very effective program because essentially we have 39 tax centers throughout the base," said Sergeant Flores. "And for retirees, they can call the 'hub central' and I can recommend them to a VITA rep, so we have good control over the program." It's important to know the tax representatives are peers who volunteer their time to assist others with tax returns. The volunteers attended a five-day training course to ensure the utmost professional tax service available to Airmen, retirees and families. "It was a lot of training in a short amount of time," said Master Sgt. Erika Fisher, VITA representative for the 92nd Services Squadron. "They received extensive training from the IRS, and the VITAs have really stepped up to the challenge," Sergeant Flores added. The VITA representatives were required to test on various tax material to determine what level of tax knowledge they acquired and which types of returns they would best be able to provide assistance for. This included basic, military, itemized, intermediate and advanced tax testing modules. This ensured the volunteers had the required knowledge to allow customers the most efficient and professional support. "It's interesting to see how the unit tax advisor system works here," said Mr. Cahill, referring to how other bases and other sites have tax centers rather than tax representatives. "The regular work on the base also doesn't stop during tax season." Volunteers added the tax season responsibility on top of their regular daily duties, but for a good cause - to make certain Airmen, retirees and their families get the best tax assistance they deserve. If nothing else, one thing is for sure - there's a time for everything, and now is the time to meet with your unit's tax representative. For additional information and a list of VITA representatives, click here.