By Rachel Brickner

Do you need assistance with income tax preparation this year?  The Senior Center has at times in the past offered assistance with tax preparation, but the Center no longer has sufficient space to meet the need.

Instead, the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program (VITA) will be conducting free tax preparation this year at the Oregon Village Hall. 

To schedule an appointment, you need to go to the Oregon Village Hall on Saturdays between 9:00 AM and 1:00 PM.  You can make an appointment for a Saturday morning in February or March.  Please note that no VITA volunteers will be available on Saturday, Feb. 15, so do not go to the Village Hall that day.

Appointments are made on a first come, first served basis, so it is not wise to wait until near the end of the tax season to schedule an appointment.  Last year the appointments all filled in advance, leaving some people disappointed. 

The tax preparation help provided is for fairly simple returns.  If you have any questions about whether your return is appropriate for the VITA volunteers to handle, you can call the State Department of Revenue at 608-266-2486 and select option 8 (other) to speak with someone about the program.

Even though this program is being held at the Oregon Village Hall it is open to non-Oregon residents as well.  The address of the Village Hall is 117 Spring Street, Oregon.