Dean Aubrey Washington of the School of Business has partnered with the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) which allows accounting students of UVI to provide a community service to taxpayers. The Volunteer Taxpayer Assistance Program will start on all three islands on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2019, and will run until April 13, 2019, except for Saturday, March 16 and March 30, 2019. Assistance will be provided on a first come first serve basis.
On St. Thomas, the program will be at the Bureau’s office 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. located 6115 Estate Smith Bay, in Red Hook, across the street from the Red Hook dock from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. On St. Croix, the program will be held at the Bureau’s office located at 4008 Estate Diamond from 9 am – 1 p.m. On St. John, the program will be held at the Bureau’s office at the Motor Vehicle Bureau in Cruz Bay from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
The Bureau’s audit staff and the UVI students will help taxpayers with the filing of their 2018 income tax returns. This is a free service offered to taxpayers who are filing simple tax returns with the Bureau. Taxpayers should have available all W-2VIs, 1099Rs (Retirement Income), other Form 1099s (Interest and Other Income), and Form SSA (Social Security Income) readily available when they arrive at the office.
Please refer questions about the Volunteer Taxpayer Assistance Program to Perpetua Cranston on St. Croix at (340) 773-1040 ext. 4233, and to Le’Tishma Smith on St. Thomas and St. John at (340) 715-1040, ext. 2276.
Joel Lee, CPA and director nominee reminds the taxpaying public that it is against the law for any Bureau of Internal Revenue employee to charge fees for preparation of a tax return. Any taxpayer who can provide proof of payment to a Bureau of Internal Revenue employee for the preparation of tax returns is asked to contact Lee at (340) 773-1040 ext. 4223 to report this violation.