Chico State Participates in VITA Program

The Chico State Accounting Club had another successful tax season with their involvement in the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. This service is designed to aid low-income individuals and those who need help with completing their tax documents. The program is sponsored by the IRS and has only recently been introduced to the CSU Chico campus. Every Saturday from 10 - 3 the BMU on campus was open to individuals from the community to meet with student volunteers and complete their tax returns. 

It is extremely beneficial for accounting students to gain experience with tax preparation while contributing to the community at the same time. Sue Maligie, a Chico State professor CPA, was the coordinator of the program. She helped encourage participation as well as public interest. The Beta Alpha Psi Director of VITA, Daniel McGrath, also devoted many hours to VITA. Because of his efforts, VITA was an incredible success. A total of 973 returns were filed between all service centers in Butte County. This amounted to savings of nearly $300,000 for clients. Beta Alpha Psi and the Accounting Society plan to continue their involvement with VITA and increase the amount of volunteers through on-campus preparation for the mandatory training and online tests.

The BMU, where VITA was open to the public.