POEC 22
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Winter 2019

Cross-listed ECON 22
This is not the current course catalog

Class Details

This experiential course provides students the opportunity to explore public policy through training and work as volunteer income tax preparers for low income working people in North Adams, Massachusetts. By the end of the term, students will be IRS-certified volunteer income tax preparers. Students have the option of writing a 10 page analytic essay or serving as tax preparers for local clients of the Berkshire Community Action Council. The course will also offer an overview of the U.S. income tax, and the role of the tax system in overall U.S. social policy, especially policy towards lower-income households. Coursework will consist of a series of classes and open lab sessions coordinated with the self-paced IRS “Link and Learn” online tax preparer training program. Class time will be spent discussing policy and program context as well as working through the online training program. A poverty simulation and follow up Q&A session featuring guests from local social service organizations will help orient students to the issues facing low-income families in the northern Berkshires.
The Class: Format: afternoons
Limit: 14
Grading: pass/fail only
Requirements/Evaluation: 10-page paper; complete IRS certification to assist in tax preparation; volunteer work
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment Preferences: written statement of interest
Materials/Lab Fee: $15
Notes: This course is cross-listed and the prefixes carry the following divisional credit:
POEC 22 ECON 22
Attributes: EXPE Experiential Education Courses

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