In Bridgeport, CT Officials Urge Residents To Take Advantage Of Free Tax Services

by Donald Eng

BRIDGEPORT, CT — Many state residents are owed tax money, according to Revenue Services Commissioner Mark Boughton.

“For many people in the state of Connecticut, we owe you money,” Boughton said. “Whether it’s federal money, whether it’s state money or together. We want you to know that, we want you to file and we want to get that check to you.”

Boughton, along with Gov. Ned Lamont and state Rep. Chris Rosario, D-Bridgeport, among other officials, spoke at CT State Community College Housatonic Friday, addressing newly implemented changes to federal tax code that could have an impact on state residents.

Juan Berrios, executive director of Simplify CT, a volunteer tax assistance program. Last year, Berrios said Simplify CT was one of a number of groups that together helped prepare tax returns for over 40,000 residents that returned over $50 million.

“But there are still so many people out there who can benefit from the Earned Income Tax Credit,” he said.

Every year, he said, about 10,000 people eligible for the credit do not claim it or don’t fully claim it. That leaves about $10 million in federal benefits unclaimed, he said.

“And that’s not even counting what the state has to offer,” he said.

Isabel Almeida, president and CEO of United Way of Coastal and Western Connecticut, said the ability to access free tax support meant the difference between financial strain and financial stability. This is especially true for those with a language barrier, complex family situations and more, particularly those below the United Way’s ALICE (asset-limited, income constrained, employed) threshold.

Statewide, about 40% of households fall below that limit. In Bridgeport, the number is 67%, she said.

The tax dollars identified through free tax assistance — the estimated $50 million last year alone — gets reinvested in local communities to cover things like rent, utilities, child care, food and more, Almeida said.

“These things are economic drivers in the community,” she said.

Lamont acknowledged the tax code was complicated. 

“That’s why it’s really important that you take full advantage,” he said.

Services are available throughout the state. Call 211 for information