Oregon has a new state Tax Aide Coordinator

CLACKAMAS – The AARP Tax Aide Program has a new State Coordinator. Bob Bruce of Salem recently accepted the volunteer position managing a corps of 1,176 volunteers throughout the state of Oregon.

 

This year, AARP Tax Aide volunteers helped 87,442 Oregonians file taxes returning almost $56 million in refunds. Tax Aide is a key AARP Foundation program offering a critical, and free, service to low-income individuals, helping them get a tax refund to go towards their basic living expenses.

 

Bruce, 73, lives in Salem. He has been a Tax-Aide volunteer and counselor for 12 years, serving as District Coordinator in the Salem area for the past five years.

Prior to retiring in 2004, he worked 32 years as a university administrator in six states, holding positions at both the University of Oregon and Oregon State University and in the Office of the Chancellor of the Oregon University System.

 

He has also been active as a volunteer and leader in the Oregon Senior Health Insurance Benefits Assistance (SHIBA) program and with the Stone Soup meals program for low-income persons in Corvallis.He holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in journalism and educational administration.

 

“Quietly, we are one of Oregon’s most successful economic development programs,” Bruce says. “By helping seniors and low-income persons claim appropriate tax credits and file timely returns, we feel we help put important tax refunds back into family budgets.”

 

Tax Aide volunteers are trained by the Internal Revenue Services and can help with basic taxes including help with retirement income, permissible health care deduction and treatment of capital gains. The majority of recipients of the service earn less than $50,000 for their household income.

 

In addition to a traditional income tax refund, 10,822 of the Tax Aide Oregon returns included the Earned Income Tax Credit or EITC. The EITC is a benefit for working people with low to moderate income. To qualify, you must meet certain requirements and file a tax return, even if you do not owe any tax or are not required to file. EITC reduces the amount of tax you owe and may give you a refund.

 

In 2016, the Oregon Legislature approved an expansion of the EITC. House Bill 4110, which passed on a bipartisan vote of 54-4, would increased Oregon’s match for families with children under the age of three from 8% of the federal credit to 11%.

 

For more information about the AARP Foundation Tax Aide Program, click here.