The Alaska Business Development Center, Inc. (ABDC) is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit corporation that provides business consulting and tax related services to rural Alaska residents. Founded in 1978, ABDC provides quality assistance to individuals who do not have access to professional services due to their income, language barrier, or isolated geographic location. ABDC travels directly to rural Alaska communities to provide hands-on assistance to those in need. Additionally, services are offered by professionals throughout the year at the Anchorage office.
Volunteer Tax & Loan Program
The Volunteer Tax and Loan Program (VTLP), ABDC’s largest program, is a unique program that provides tax assistance to underserved, hard-to-reach, low income rural residents of partner communities. Services available under VTLP align with three IRS programs: Low Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC), Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) and Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA).
VTLP was established in 1995 to help noncompliant commercial fisherman satisfy their IRS filing requirements. The President of ABDC, Gary Selk, and the Director of the Alaska Division of Investments, Martin Richard, laid the foundation to help strengthen the rural economies and improve individual financial stability by tackling the noncompliance issue head on.
During the filing season of 1996, the first VTLP teams traveled to 7 communities and assisted 185 taxpayers with the preparation of their current year tax returns, assisting them in becoming compliant with the IRS. Today, the program assists 160 rural communities and generates in excess of $10 million in refunds.
Direct face-to-face assistance with current year tax return preparation and taxpayer education is conducted during the months of February and March by teams of volunteers traveling to rural communities. Current year prior year, and amended return preparation, as well as education and assistance with IRS controversy issues, is conducted on a year-round basis from the Anchorage office. Services are provided at no charge for qualifying individuals.
ABDC provides tax preparation services to low-to moderate income taxpayers and taxpayers age 60 and over, through the IRS’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and Taxpayer Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) programs. ABDC’s primary focus is on Rural Alaska taxpayers.
Tax preparation services are provided free of charge to qualifying individual taxpayers in partner communities. The communities selected to receive this service are determined by regional and local financial support. Tax preparation is provided to selected communities through outreach efforts in February and March, as well as through ABDC’s Mail-in Site year-round.
ABDC provides education regarding taxpayer rights and responsibilities to low income and English-as-a-second-language taxpayers through the IRS’s Low Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC).
ABDC’s educational topics are designed in a user-friendly format and cover topics pertinent to life in rural Alaska. Most presentations are delivered during outreach trips in February and March, but also available year-round from the Anchorage Mail-in Site.
Common topics include: Dependent Laws, Estimated Tax Payments, Form 1040, Income Forms, Injured Spouse, IRS Debt, IRS Notices, Refunds and Withholding.
ABDC’s Low Income Taxpayer Clinic provides assistance to qualifying taxpayers in controversy with the IRS. Assistance is provided year-round, is free of charge to qualifying taxpayers, and may range from consultation to representation.
A consultation includes brief advice given to a taxpayer on a specific issue which may be the result of a taxpayer receiving a notice from the IRS.
Representation may include a qualified practitioner directly representing a qualifying taxpayer in a controversy with the IRS. A taxpayer’s qualification is based on current year finances and the amount in controversy. Visit Taxpayer Resources for information on eligibility.
