Many of us have heard the old Benjamin Franklin quote, “in this world nothing is certain but death and taxes.” I can’t help you with the former, but I want to let you know how you can take care of the latter without doing any damage to your wallet.

The United Way of the Pioneer Valley is teaming up with Springfield Partners for Community Action and the Valley Opportunity Council to offer free tax assistance for residents of Western Massachusetts.

Sylvia deHaas-Phillips, the Senior Vice President of United Way of the Pioneer Valley, told me they’ll be running several free tax prep programs and Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites throughout the Pioneer Valley. Last year VITA program volunteers prepared 3,000 tax returns, and brought in more than $5 million in tax refunds for local residents.

This program’s goal is to lower the surprising number of people who don’t claim the cash that’s coming to them. A study done by the Midas Collaborative found that over 18,000 Hampden County residents didn’t claim their federal income-tax refunds and Earned Income Tax Credit in 2010. That’s a whopping loss of $35 million dollars.

The free tax prep will be available until April 13, 2012.  Click here to find a location near you.

In the meantime, don’t forget to watch tomorrow’s 22News I-Team report on “Smart Meter” energy tracking systems. You’ll find out how these new  systems work and why they’re raising some concerns among local residents. 

If there’s anything you want the 22News I-Team to Investigate, send an e-mail to ITeam@wwlp.com.