By MC3 Brian H. Abel

Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program volunteers are pictured following a grand opening ceremony at the Presidio of Monterey (POM) Legal Services Office, Jan. 26. The VITA program provides free professional tax preparation services to all service members, reservists, dependents and retirees throughout the tax season, now through April 18.

"We have an opportunity to recognize the people who have helped us, by contributing to the point where we can have a successful tax season," said POM Legal Assistance Attorney Matthew Shelton. "We recognize preparers most importantly, the people who put in the training to do tax returns for their fellow service members. This is an incredibly valuable service that we provide to them.

"Anyone who has issues that prevent them from filing during the filing season, due to deployment or lack of records, we'll ensure they are taken care of as well," Shelton added.

Come April 18, 2016, all U.S. citizens meeting specific minimum income levels will need to have successfully filed their federal and state returns. The VITA tax center is located in building 358 at the Presidio of Monterey, and is open from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Appointments can be made by calling (831) 242-7365.

"We're up and running so come see us, it costs nothing and we're trained just like anyone out in town," added Shelton.