Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 29, Number 4, 1 April 2012 — OHA helps Hāna residents file tax returns [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

OHA helps Hāna residents file tax returns

By Harold Nedd Ahalf dozen Native Hawaiians in Hāna who took advantage of free help with filing their taxes will get back almost $10,000 this tax season. OHA offered the free service through an IRS program staffed with Volunteer Ineome Tax Assistance helpers. The service was also tied to a two-year pilot project in Hāna, Maui, where OHA has placed heightened importance on helping improve the eeonomie well-being of Native Hawaiians. Taxpayer Euniee Lind, who operates a small farm on Hāna with her husband, Greg, celebrated the news about the $5,664 she will get back from her 20 1 1 tax returns by giving an animated high five to Edwina Minglana, a grant specialist at OHA who prepared her taxes. "I was pleasantly surprised at the outcome from filing my taxes this year," said Lind, who raises cattle and grows bananas as well as corn on her farm. "I also liked that I was able to save about $250 by taking advantage of the free service." In all, six Native Hawaiian taxpayers from Hāna were assisted with filing their federal and state income-tax returns that will result in $9,796 in combined refunds. Free tax help for individuals or families with a combined ineome of $57,000 or less is provided by HACBED, the Hawai'i Allianee for Community-Based Eeonomie Development. For information about free tax help in your area, visit hawaiitaxhelp.org. Or, for online tax filing for individuals or families with a combined ineome of $57,000 or less, visit myfreetaxes.thebeehive.org. ■

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OHA staff Aedward Los Banos, left, and Edwina Minglana with Hāna Spring Festival organizer Andrea "Lehua" Cosma at the free tax-help session in Hāna. Almost $1 0,000 in tax refunds were identified for six Hāna residents.