GIVING SENIORS A TAX BREAK.

Byline: - Nicole Sunkes

For the last four years, Richard Doering has been in the business of saving senior citizens as much money as he can.

Doering, coordinator of the Tax Counseling for the Elderly program at the Goebel Senior Adult Center in Thousand Oaks, says many seniors don't know about most of the tax breaks for which they qualify.

``Seniors have no idea that tax laws are getting so involved right now,'' he says. ``If they don't have tax software, they miss a lot of it. They get pushed out in the end.''

The free low-income senior tax preparation program offered at the center uses volunteers from the national Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) and computers supplied by the Internal Revenue Service to electronically file seniors' taxes. Doering says the program at Goebel is averaging a $400 to $500 tax refund for each person.

Retired from IBM, Doering, 65, says the IRS funds the program because e-filing is faster and more efficient than paper filing, putting refunds in the bank as soon as seven days after filed. The IRS realizes that many seniors aren't computer savvy, and want to make the process as easy as possible for them, he says.

Doering says most of the more than 500 people who will use the center's service this year are widowed and Social Security recipients.

Cindy Powers, RSVP director at Goebel, says the program is designed to benefit seniors who have don't have money to spend on a commercial tax service.

``Many (seniors) are low income, and if they had to go to H&R Block to have their taxes prepared, they would have to pay $100 and wouldn't be able to afford that,'' she says. Seniors ``are very thankful that it's here.''

Taxes cannot be prepared for people who rent their housing or, as Doering says, ``for people with extremely complicated taxes.'' Other than that, they'll do taxes for anyone older than 55 years.

The Tax Counseling for the Elderly Program has 10 sites located throughout Ventura County:

-- Ventura Avenue Adult Center, 550 N. Ventura Ave., Ventura. 9 to 11 a.m. Tuesdays through April 13. Walk-ins accepted. [phone].

-- Santa Clara Senior Center, 420 Santa Clara St., Ventura. 1 to 3 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays through April 15. Walk-ins accepted. [phone].

-- Oxnard Library, 251 S. A St., Oxnard. 3 to 7 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays through April 15. Walk-ins accepted.

-- Ventura County Council on Aging, 4917 S. Rose Ave., Oxnard. 9 a.m. to noon Wednesdays through April 7. Appointments required. [phone].

-- Camarillo Senior Center, 1605 E. Burnley St., Camarillo. 9:30 a.m. to noon Mondays through April 14. Walk-ins accepted. [phone].

-- Camarillo Public Library, 3100 Ponderosa Drive, Camarillo. 10 a.m. to noon Saturdays through April 10. Walk-ins accepted.

-- Goebel Senior Center, 1385 E. Janss Road, Thousand Oaks. 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursdays through April 15. Walk-ins accepted. [phone].

-- Little House of Ojai, 111 W. Santa Anna St., Ojai. 1:30 to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through April 14. Appointments required. [phone].

-- Santa Paula Community Center, 530 Main St., Santa Paula. 1 to 3 p.m. Mondays through April 12. Walk-ins accepted. [phone].

-- Catholic Charities - Moorpark, 609 Filtch Ave., Moorpark. 9 a.m. to noon Wednesdays through April 14. Walk-ins accepted.

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Photo:

Volunteer Stan Ehrlich goes over tax forms with Elizabeth Salzwedel Thursday at the Gobel Senior Adult Center in Thousand Oaks, which offers free tax-preparation service for seniors.

Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer