(Philadelphia, PA – February 4, 2004) –The Philadelphia Gas Works (PGW) is providing office space in its South Philadelphia Customer Service Center, 1601 S. Broad Street, to support this year’s citywide volunteer campaign to help working families with federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) applications.

The program is being led by the Campaign for Working Families, a volunteer organization that provides free tax preparation assistance and other financial services to people earning low to moderate incomes.

The organization estimates that about 50,000 Philadelphia residents, who did not apply for the EITC, could have received a credit of $1,700 each on average, or more than a total of $84 million. A family of four earning up to $35,000 could receive a credit for as much as $4,200, depending on family size and income.

Volunteers will be available at PGW’s South Philadelphia office to help eligible applicants file their 2003 Income Tax returns and apply for the EITC until April 15 on Mondays from noon to 4 p.m., Wednesday and Thursday from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m., and on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
PGW will continue to provide usual service to customers visiting the South Philadelphia office during usual business hours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

In addition to staffing PGW’s office, volunteers also will be providing free tax preparation assistance at several other locations in neighborhoods throughout Philadelphia.

More information on the program is available at 215-686-2599 or on the United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania’s Web site, www.uwsepa.org.

Founded in 1836, PGW is the nation’s largest municipally owned natural gas utility, serving a half million residential, commercial, and industrial customers, and Philadelphia’s choice for quality energy solutions.