April in the south usually means different things to different people. Some think of the pretty spring flowers, egg hunts and Easter bonnets, and some dread a month of sniffling and sneezing from hay fever. But everyone knows that above all else, it’s tax time.

Now that the pollen is swirling and the cars are yellow, almost every street has a Lady Liberty and Uncle Sam waving madly from the sidewalks as a daily reminder that tax season is here again.

As April 15 rapidly descends, one might feel pressured to hurry and get their taxes done and get the returns in to the IRS. For those on a limited income, getting a tax return prepared can be a daunting endeavor.

Chances are if they are out of work, they will be getting much needed money back, but if they don’t know how to prepare the returns and can’t afford an accountant it can be a vicious cycle. That’s why one local accounting firm is trying to extend a helping hand.

Gene and Vanessa Key own a franchise of Roni Deutch Tax Center in West Columbia and this year, seeing the results of the recession and the rising unemployment in their community, they are offering to do taxes for people who have lost their jobs. For free.

Looking for a catch? There isn’t one.

“We wanted to give back to the community,” Vanessa Key said. “I was an unemployed single mother 25 years ago, and I know what a challenge that can be. I could have used some temporary help back then, and now that we are in a position to help, that's what we want to do."

Roni Deutch is a leading tax attorney, who helps taxpayers resolve issues involving IRS back

taxes. She has several books out on working tax laws to the tax payers’ advantage and is featured on many television and radio shows. The Keys bought her only Columbia franchise after going to California to meet with her and be interviewed two years ago. Until then they had a real estate appraisal business, which they have kept but just wanted to diversify, Key said.

“We weren’t sure how the real estate market was going to go, and we liked the way Roni ran her businesses,” she said.

With the going rate of having an accountant prepare tax returns starting at $60 and soaring into the hundreds, many people procrastinate or try to do their own taxes. That is not a good idea at all, according to Key.

“Unless you really know the tax laws and know what you’re doing, even a simple return can be tricky,” she said. “There are so many things that people just don’t know about that change quickly. It’s difficult to keep up.”

A self–employed person or a day contractor such as a painter or plumber really has to be careful with their mode of payment, Key added.

“The difference between a W–2 form and a

1099 form can cost the worker money,” she said. “The law says that all workers must pay 14% of their earnings into Social Security, but on a W–2 form, the employer pays half and the worker pays half. On the 1099 form, the worker pays it all.”

She remembered several

clients who had

worked for employers who turned in a 1099 form for them when the employer actually should have been responsible for half of the social security payment.

“One woman worked for a caterer,” Key said. “She was told when to show up, when to leave, and what to wear. Technically that should have been a W–2 form, but the caterer paid her with a 1099 form. Because of that, she couldn’t get several credits that were legally due her, and she had to pay double into the social security.”

Another reason to not neglect your taxes is time limits, Key said.

“The IRS cuts off its payments of a refund after three years,” she said. “But if you owe for the year or years you didn’t file, that will never go away, and you can be charged interest on the balance.”

The Keys’ office is located at 1625 Charleston Highway in West Columbia between Maurice’s Piggie Park and Ryan’s Steak House. Their number is 803-661-8997.