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Insights > Entergy Volunteers Continue to Support Super Tax Day Events in Louisiana
Entergy Volunteers Continue to Support Super Tax Day Events in Louisiana
02/20/2018
As the 2018 Super Tax Day campaign winds down, Entergy wants to make sure qualifying residents in Louisiana are aware of upcoming events where they can receive free tax preparation services.
Events will be held at Volunteer Income Tax Assistance sites on Feb. 24 in Lafayette and Vacherie, and on March 3 in Lake Charles. As always, Entergy employees will be among the trained volunteers providing free, personalized assistance on tax returns and ensuring that local customers claim the Earned Income Tax Credit.
Super Tax Day kicked off Feb. 3 at VITA sites in Baton Rouge and New Orleans. At the East Baton Rouge Parish Library VITA site on Goodwood Boulevard, 275 qualifying residents received free assistance, including Joe Williams, who said an Entergy volunteer helped him save a considerable sum on his tax return.
“I checked with one tax preparer who wanted to charge $200 to do my taxes,” said Williams, a retired truck driver. “That was over half of what I was expecting to get back. The Entergy employee who helped me reviewed my return after he finished and went out of his way to explain everything. It was a wonderful experience.”
Baton Rouge resident Shaune Wells said she found out about Super Tax Day on the radio and had a positive experience at the Jones Creek Regional Branch Library VITA site in 2017. She made sure to sign up for the 2018 event and even received help from Entergy volunteers she met last year.
“The hours are very convenient, and Entergy employees who help me are always very thorough,” said Wells, who works at a child-care center in Baton Rouge. “If a question comes up, they always refer to their manuals and don’t give up until they find the answer. I’ll be waiting to hear about Super Tax Day next year – I wouldn’t miss it.”
Senior Customer Service Specialist Dana Jones began volunteering for Super Tax Day when she worked for Entergy in Mississippi; this was her second year to volunteer for Super Tax Day in Baton Rouge. She said the gratitude expressed by customers motivates her to participate.
“I call it an honor because it allows me to help hardworking families keep additional dollars for their households,” Jones said. Residents she helped included a disabled couple who for years had been paying for tax preparation services.
“Last year they spent almost $300 to have their taxes done, and their return was not even $1,000,” she said. “My heart broke. I shared with them that I expect to see them every year on Super Tax Day.”
Raj Shenoy, a design engineer at River Bend Station in St. Francisville, said volunteering for Super Tax Day is his way of giving back to the community.
“The VITA program has been out there for years helping a lot of low-income residents,” he said. “In fact, a VITA site helped prepare taxes for me during my college days. Volunteering gives me a chance to meet new people, hear their stories, get their blessings and help them get maximum benefits from their taxes.”
