Shapiro Administration Delivers Funding to Provide Free Legal Assistance with PA Taxes at Taxpayer Clinics

​Harrisburg, PA- Three law schools in Pennsylvania are now offering free legal assistance on state tax issues to qualifying taxpayers after receiving a combined total of $150,000 in funding from the Department of Revenue, Secretary of Revenue Pat Browne announced today. The funding bolsters the operations of the Low Income Taxpayer Clinics (LITCs) at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, Temple University Beasley School of Law, and Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law.

Each school received $50,000 from the Department of Revenue to expand their existing LITCs to also provide support on Pennsylvania tax matters. Prior to these awards, the LITCs focused solely on helping individuals with federal tax issues involving the IRS. This effort is part of the Department of Revenue's push to help Governor Josh Shapiro reach his goals of supporting Pennsylvanians in need and lowering costs for families.

"Our experience has shown us that many Pennsylvanians need an advocate working on their behalf when they are attempting to navigate our Commonwealth's tax system. That's especially true for low-income taxpayers who may not have the resources to hire an attorney or tax professional to represent them," said Secretary Browne. "Through this new partnership with the LITCs, we are taking another big step to deliver on our commitment of fairly and equitably administering Pennsylvania's tax laws. We are thrilled that these resources are now available to make a real difference for the people we serve."

The LITCs do not prepare tax returns. Rather, they are designed to help Pennsylvanians address tax matters such as:

• Audits
• Appeals
• Collections
• Liens
• Innocent Spouse & Injured Spouse
• Litigation
• ID Theft & Preparer Fraud
• Worker Misclassification

The LITCs are staffed by law students, other staff, and attorneys. On state tax issues, they work with the Pennsylvania Office of Taxpayers' Rights Advocate (OTRA), which is led by Taxpayer AdvocateVincent Pease. OTRA routinely provides services to some of Pennsylvania's most vulnerable residents.

"Through the generous funding made available by the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue, the Pitt Law Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC) is now able to expand our legal representation to include Pennsylvania state tax issues," said Alice Stewart, Associate Professor of Law and Director of Legal Clinics at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. "The LITC looks forward to engendering a symbiotic relationship between the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue and low-income taxpayers of the Commonwealth by providing orderly, efficient, and effective representation of Pennsylvania taxpayer disputes. The funding will also benefit our students in providing an avenue for them to gain experience in Commonwealth tax issues."

"This new partnership with the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue is an incredibly exciting opportunity for our clinic to more dedicatedly focus on state tax controversy issues," said Omeed Firouzi, Practice Professor and Director of the Low Income Taxpayer Clinic at Temple University Beasley School of Law. "For so many clients, state income tax liabilities can be burdensome but with the assistance of a Low Income Taxpayer Clinic, taxpayers can engage proactively to deal with these issues. This funding will allow us to deeply dive into programs, collection alternatives, and other avenues for relief for our clients who find themselves dealing with the Department of Revenue. This support is particularly meaningful for taxpayers who are misclassified as independent contractors and thus owe all of the 3.07 percent state income tax after the fact out of pocket. We can help those taxpayers get into payment plans and challenge their misclassification to the extent possible and effectively work with the state Office of Taxpayers' Rights Advocate."

"We are thrilled that we can now help taxpayers in disputes with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as well as IRS disputes," said Christine Speidel, Associate Professor and Tax Clinic Director atVillanova University Charles Widger School of Law. "Taxes can be intimidating and confusing, and there has been a large unmet need for help with state tax issues. I encourage anyone who has received a letter from the IRS or the Department of Revenue to reach out. We're here to help people understand their legal options, exercise their rights, and receive the tax benefits for which they qualify."
About Low Income Taxpayer Clinics

Low Income Taxpayer Clinics (LITCs) ensure the fairness and integrity of the tax system for taxpayers who are low-income or speak English as a second language by:

• Providing pro bono representation on their behalf in tax disputes.
• Educating them about their rights and responsibilities as taxpayers.
• Identifying and advocating for issues that impact these taxpayers.

The LITC program is administered on the federal level by the Office of the Taxpayer Advocate. Although LITCs receive partial funding from the IRS, LITCs, their employees, and their volunteers operate independently of the IRS. More information about LITCs and the work they do to represent, educate, and advocate on behalf of low-income and ESL taxpayers is available in IRS Publication 5066, 2023 LITC Program Report.

Contact LITCs in PA

LITC at University of Pittsburgh School of Law

Address:
3900 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15260

Contact:
Phone: (412) 648-1300
Fax: (412) 648-1490

Director:
Alice Stewart, Associate Professor of Law and Director of Legal Clinics, [email protected]

LITC at Temple University Beasley School of Law

Address:
1719 N. Broad Street
Philadelphia, PA 19122

Contact:
Phone: (215) 204-8948
Fax: (215) 515-6234
Email: [email protected]

Director:
Omeed Firouzi, Practice Professor and Director of Low Income Taxpayer Clinic, [email protected]

LITC at Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law

Address:
299 N. Spring Mill Road
Villanova, PA 19085

Contact:
Phone: (610) 519-5894
Phone: (866) 655-4419 (Linea Española)
Email: [email protected]

Director:
Christine Speidel, Associate Professor and Director, Federal Tax Clinic, [email protected]

Media Contact: Jeffrey Johnson, [email protected]​