A Cape Girardeau Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) training class will be held at the Cape Budget Inn in February.

"The VITA programs uses volunteers to provide free tax assistance to taxpayers who cannot afford professional help," said Dorothy Ank, coordinator for the local program. "These volunteers frequently are college students, law students or members of professional business organizations."

The volunteers receive special training courses in income tax return preparations.

The VITA training class will be held Feb. 1-5 at the Cape Budget Inn, Route K-Interstate 55. The class will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. VITA instructors and training materials will be provided by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), which sponsors the program.

Hal Jackson from the IRS office in Poplar Bluff will be the tax preparation instructor. The Cape Girardeau office of the Missouri Department of Revenue will also assist in the training.

Volunteers are needed, said Ank.

"We'll use some of the same people from last year," she said, "but, we still need additional volunteers."

Program information is available by contacting Ank. Her telephone number is 334-1871.

This is the 10th year for the program in Cape Girardeau.

"The program has been successful over the years," said Ank.

VITA programs can be sponsored by local civic or fraternal organizations, educational institutions, ~churches and social groups, said Ank.

For the convenience of taxpayers who can not travel to an IRS office, most VITA volunteers provide assistance at neighborhood locations, such as schools, churches and libraries.