The Hispanic Access Foundation (HAF), in partnership with H&R Block, is educating and assisting thousands of Spanish-speaking taxpayers across the country.
“The Hispanic community is a powerful, growing force and its emphasis on our tax responsibility will strengthen our families and nation as a whole,” said Maite Arce, president and CEO of Hispanic Access Foundation. “Through education and access to bilingual, professional tax experts, we’re equipping our community with the tools it needs to prepare for the future.”
The campaign “Prepárate Para Un Futuro Mejor” (Prepare Yourself for a Better Future), provides nearly 200 free tax education workshops in 17 markets nationwide. These workshops emphasize the importance of building an accurate tax history, provide insight on how to protect against fraud and misinformation in the tax preparation process, outline how to meet some important health care requirements of the Affordable Care Act and highlight the impact of potential immigration rule changes.
“We’re changing the perception of the Hispanic community – Hispanics take great pride in being solid contributors, whether that’s through paying taxes or work in local communities,” said Arce. “Since the project began in 2010, we’ve helped tens of thousands of people better understand the tax process and its importance.”
The financial contributions of the Hispanic community have grown in pace with its population growth. Hispanic buying power is expected to reach $1.5 trillion in 2015, according to Nielsen. Additionally, the U.S. Census estimates that Hispanic business-owners contribute more than $70 billion to the nation’s economy.
“When it comes to tax education, H&R Block is out in the community and understands the unique set of circumstances that face Hispanics today,” said Pasha Hosseini, multicultural marketing manager for H&R Block. “Through bilingual tax professionals, information in their language, and years of experience, we guide members of the Hispanic community for long-term financial success.”
Since 2010, HAF has held over 900 workshops in more than 800 churches and community spaces nationwide. A complete list of upcoming workshop dates and locations is available at www.pormifuturo.org.