Transcript: Mayor Adams and Commissioner Mayuga Kick off Tax Season, Urge New Yorkers to Sign up for Free Tax Preparation Services and get Money Back in Their Pockets

February 7, 2025

Commissioner Vilda Vera Mayuga, Department of Consumer and Worker Protection: Okay, good morning, everyone. I am Vilda Vera Mayuga, commissioner at the New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection.  
 

Now, I know most people don't really enjoy talking about taxes, but I get really excited to talk about taxes. It's actually one of my favorite topics every year, and that is because of the awesome work that we do. We have an amazing free New York City tax prep program.  
 

Each year, our agency, DCWP, partners with IRS-certified volunteer tax preparers at organizations across the five boroughs, like Urban Outbound here in Queens, to provide free and professional tax preparation services to thousands of New Yorkers.  
 

If you made $93,000 or less as a family in 2024 or $65,000 or less as an individual or a couple without dependents, this is the program for you. You should take advantage of the New York City free tax prep program, avoid costly tax preparation fees, and claim all of the important tax credits that you're entitled to.  
 

Last year, through our program, we helped file more than 101,000 tax returns, saving New Yorkers more than $33 million in tax preparation fees. That's real money. That's money that we want people to keep at home, keep in their pockets, use it for all the necessities that they have, whether it is rent, groceries, other family expenses. And of course, now to tell you a bit more about how our administration continues to make our city more affordable, it is my pleasure to introduce Mayor Eric Adams. 
 

Mayor Eric Adams: Thank you so much, commissioner. And people don't realize how much you have done for working class people throughout these three years from fighting for the right wages for our deliveristas, to making sure consumers are getting the proper items that they purchase, the tax credits, the Uber and delivery workers, and just so much you have done. And this is one of those areas. And the financial literacy, which you are really proud to put in place. So we cannot thank you enough. So I really want to thank the commissioner. And I want to thank bishop, just for the work that you're doing on the ground here every day. And we're going to continue to provide for working class people.  
 

But before I get started, I want to let New Yorkers know about our weekend's winter weather forecast. The National Weather Service is forecasting we may receive from three to five inches of snow starting Saturday night at 7 p.m. and lasting into Sunday morning. We could expect the heaviest snowfall around midnight tomorrow with freezing rain in the overnight hours combined with low temperatures in the 20s, potentially causing slippery and potentially dangerous conditions.  
 

So really, if you can stay off the road, be off the road, you can leave your car parked without getting a summons because alternate side parking will be suspended tomorrow. And we are really encouraging New Yorkers to take public transportation.  
 

And as always, our men and women of DSNY will be out doing 12-hour shifts. 1,000 sanitation workers will be out to remove the snow and do what they do best. So we're also encouraging property owners, remember to clear your sidewalks as well. New Yorkers can sign up for more information, up-to-date information and notify NYC or by calling 311 or downloading our app.  
 

But let's talk jobs. This is Jobs Week. We have broken the record for eight times on the most jobs in the city history as well as many of our small businesses that have opened. One out of five small businesses have been opened during this administration. We're moving forward in the right direction. And it is our goal to ensure that we increase the employee numbers.  
 

We have witnessed a decrease in unemployment in every demographic in general, but specifically when you look at Black and brown unemployment, we have a decrease of close to 20 percent. As I said at my State of the City address earlier this month, our goal is to make New York City the best place to raise a family, I should say last month. And that means having the best jobs on the globe and keeping money from those jobs in the pockets of New Yorkers. And so today, we are really proud here at Urban Upbound Federal Credit Union today to close out Jobs Week and kick off our tax season.

And I'm with the commissioner. We hate talking about taxes, but, you know, we have to pay them.  
 

Someone said, only thing that's guaranteed is death and taxes. And so how do we do it right? How do we keep as much money as possible in the pockets of New Yorkers? And so ensuring opportunity reaches every borough here out in Queens, were not a Manhattan-centered administration. We are outside of Manhattan to look at what we can do in every borough. And that's why this tax season, we're working to ensure no dollar is left behind for working-class New Yorkers and their families.  
 

New Yorkers can file their taxes using the famous four-letter word, free. That's right. Right here in the city, free. Across the five boroughs, through our New York City Tax Prep Initiative. And I know that filing your taxes can be overwhelming. It's complicated. You don't know all the ways to ensure that you can get a healthy return, but we want to do that. We have the experts here, and this entire team is going to be part of that.  
 

Our New York City free tax prep services across the city are here to help you get the return you have worked hard for, and money back in your pocket. So I urge New Yorkers to visit nyc.gov forward slash tax prep to find the nearest tax-free location for you. And this tax season, we are putting even more money back in your pocket. We were really fortunate in being able to increase the earned income tax credit. You don't have to know what it means, but you do need to know that you can get more money if you're qualified. And so when you sit down with your tax preparer, remember that it is the earned income tax credit.  
 

Three years ago, our colleagues in Albany were able to assist us in making sure we expand this credit, and it was not done for 20 years. We were able to get it done. And the EITC helps New Yorkers pay for the essential items like bills, rent, groceries, and this is money that we're placing back in your pocket. And this is money that they need to support their families. And because of our efforts last tax year, as the commissioner mentioned, but we want to reiterate, we returned $345 million back into New Yorkers' pockets through the earned income tax credit.  
 

Those are dollars that are placed in our grocery stores, recycled in our community, how we use it to pay for all the items in our city. So we know that working families need more relief, so we are calling on Albany to pass the Axe the Tax for the Working Class proposal. So significant, if you make 150 percent at or below the poverty line, you are able to go without any city income tax. And this is just a real reality. If you are a mother making $31,000 a year and you have a child, you would not have to pay income tax, city income tax. So this is a significant way of our continuation of the $30 billion we're placing back in the pockets of everyday New Yorkers. Job well done, really excited about this. Let's give some free tax preparation. Commissioner. 
 

Commissioner Mayuga: Thank you, Mr. Mayor, New York City Free Tax Prep. Yes, yes, yes. Oh, wonderful news. Again, like I said, taxes, nobody wants to talk about it, but you want to hear about it. We have more than 130 sites throughout the city, throughout the five boroughs.  
 

So there is one for you near you. And we know, we want you to know that you can also file them in person, online, or you can even drop off your documents and come pick them up later if that's what fits your needs better.  
 

Like the mayor said, nyc.gov/taxprep. You can also call 311 and ask for tax prep to get the help that you need to schedule an appointment at the place nearest you. Obviously, we wouldn't be able to do this without all of our partners, including our amazing Urban Upbound. We have a New York City Free Tax Prep coalition and partners in the IRS who really make this happen, all tax season and beyond, and making sure that thousands of New Yorkers get the fullest tax return possible. So with that, I would like to introduce one of our NYC Free Tax Prep providers, Bishop Taylor of Urban Upbound. 
 

Bishop Mitchell G. Taylor, CEO and Co-Founder, Urban Upbound: Thank you. Thank you, commissioner. Well, I want to say, first of all, thank you to the amazing job that our mayor has done around EITC and CTC and expanding that for New Yorkers here. Let's give him a big hand.  
 

We applaud him today for his commitment to tax preparation. And truly, it's an honor to have him here today to celebrate the kickoff of another tax season and highlight the incredible impact that the NYC Free Tax Prep program has for New Yorkers. And I want to start by expressing my gratitude. I've said it before. I'll say it again. I stand with the mayor. I stand with his heart because his heart is with the heart of New Yorkers.  
 

Your dedication ensures the organizations like ours, Urban Upbound, a member of the NYC Tax Coalition, and I might add, of the 148 sites, we have 46 of those sites that we're providing tax services for New Yorkers in over 26 different languages. So we're very, very excited to be a part of this initiative.  
 

I want to say that this initiative will uplift working class and lower class, lower income, rather, New Yorkers. And I want to say that Urban Upbound is proud to partner with this tax coalition initiative. The New York City Free Tax Prep can be found online by calling 311.  
 

You can go to nyc.gov, just type tax prep in the search bar, and it'll pop up. You'll find a site nearest you. And we're just glad today for all of the people. And listen, there's going to be another expansion of EITC and child tax credit. Over 800,000 New Yorkers will be eligible for more money in their pockets. So listen, don't leave this money on the table.  
 

Come to Urban Upbound and our other partners in the NYC Tax Prep initiative and get your taxes done professionally and get them done for free. Now, don't let free fool you, okay? Because we provide professional tax preparation with professional preparers. Right in this room, we have virtual tax preparation going on where people are online submitting their taxes.  
 

Downstairs, we have in-person tax preparation appointments going on. And again, 45 other sites around the city that's doing this great work. It gives us an opportunity not only to do your taxes, but offer you an opportunity to open up an account at the Urban Outbound Federal Credit Union and just do things that make money make sense. So thank you on today. And thank you for coming, Mayor Adams, to Urban Upbound. Oh, wait, wait, wait, wait. Commissioner Mayuga has done a marvelous, magnificent, come on, give her a big hand. One of the best commissioners that we've ever had in this position. Thank you, commissioner. Thank you. 
 

Commissioner Mayuga: Thank you so much. That's really kind of you. We just wanna close also with some words in Spanish.  
 

Buenos días. Soy Vilda Vera Mayuga, comisionada del Departamento de Protección al Consumidor y al Trabajador. Cada año, nuestra agencia DCWP se asocia con preparadores de impuestos voluntarios certificados por el IRS en organizaciones en todos, en los cinco condados como Urban Upbound aquí en Queens para brindar servicios de preparación de impuestos gratuitos y profesionales a miles de Neoyorquinos.  
 

Si usted ganó $93,000 o menos como familia en el 2024 o $65,000 o menos como individuo o pareja sin dependientes, usted es elegible para aprovechar la preparación gratuita de impuestos de nuestra ciudad y evitar costosas tarifas de preparación de impuestos y reclamar todos los créditos fiscales importantes a los que usted tiene derecho a recibir.  
 

Contamos con más de 130 sitios en los cinco condados para ayudarle a presentar sus impuestos en persona, en línea o incluso puede dejar sus documentos y recoger su declaración completa más tarde.  
 

Los servicios de preparación gratuita de impuestos de New York City están disponibles independientemente de su estatus migratorio en varios idiomas, obviamente incluyendo el español y nuestros héroes de preparación de impuestos pueden incluso ayudarle a obtener un número ITIN. Así es que por favor, visítanos en nyc.gov/taxprep o llame al 311 y solicite preparación de impuestos para obtener más información y acceder a un mapa de sitios para encontrar el más cercano a usted.  
 

Translation: Good morning. I am Vilda Vera Mayuga, commissioner of the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection. Each year, our DCWP agency partners with IRS-certified volunteer tax preparers at organizations throughout the five boroughs like Urban Upbound here in Queens to provide free, professional tax preparation services to thousands of New Yorkers.  
 

If you earned $93,000 or less as a family in 2024 or $65,000 or less as an individual or couple without dependents, you are eligible to take advantage of our city's free tax preparation to avoid costly tax preparation fees and claim all the important tax credits you are entitled to receive.  
 

We have over 130 locations in all five boroughs to help you file your taxes in person, online, or you can even drop off your documents and pick up your completed return later.  
Free New York City tax preparation services are available regardless of your immigration status in multiple languages, obviously including Spanish, and our tax preparation heroes can even help you obtain an ITIN number. So please visit us at nyc.gov/taxprep or call 311 and request tax prep for more information and access a map of sites to find the one closest to you. 
 

Thank you so much for being with us today. 
 

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