April 2003

Who Ya Gonna Call?
NYSSCPA Tax Busters Assuage Fears That Haunt Filers

Taxpayers from across the state burned up the phone lines again this year, seeking free advice from members of the New York State Society of CPAs who voluntarily manned several tax help hotlines.

In what has become a routine part of the tax season, NYSSCPA members from a number of chapters teamed up with the New York Daily News, the Journal News (Westchester) and the Post-Standard (Syracuse) to conduct hotlines that provided their readers with guidance and expertise on tax-related topics such as filing status, figuring income and IRAs.

With the tax deadline just around the corner, nearly 30 NYSSCPA members volunteered to handle questions at the Daily News’ offices, where phones were ringing off the hook. Now in its 10th year, the Daily News hotline took place on March 19 and 20 from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and drew approximately 1,000 calls from inquisitive taxpayers.

“The callers had a variety of questions, from whether something is taxable as income, to how to handle a gift transfer,” Daily News hotline volunteer Peter Chen said. “It was very satisfying for me to be doing something for the community.”

Another Daily News hotline volunteer, Bart Fooden, said he also found the experience interesting and worthwhile, answering questions on taxation of IRA distributions, sale of residence, capital gain and loss rules, and the earned income tax credit, among other items.

Nancy Dillon, a Daily News business writer, concurs with the members on the helpfulness of the hotline. “The tax hotline is a great service for our readers,” Dillon said. “NYSSCPA volunteers fielded 300 to 500 calls each day during the event. People called in from their desks at work, from cell phones, from their homes, and some readers even called back a second time to thank the volunteers for their help.”

Residents of Westchester and Syracuse also surely were appreciative of the opportunity to have their personal tax issues addressed for free by experts. Volunteer Michele Dickey said the March 24 tax hotline at the Post-Standard was a success that fielded many calls and gave the participants a great sense of fulfillment as they helped their communities. The Journal News hotline, which also boasted more than 20 NYS-SCPA volunteers, took place on Feb. 8.