Visitors, patrons, Tamaqua Chamber of Commerce members and Tamaqua Mayor Chris Morrison were on-hand during the grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony held Monday for Liberty Tax Service located at 111 East Broad St. in historic downtown Tamaqua.

The new business and its owners and managers already have local ties to the community. The office is owned and operated by Rodney and Deborah Wertz, who have lived in Tamaqua their entire life and connected with the finance industry since 1987. The Wertz family also owns another well-known Tamaqua business called Seasons Change Financial, formerly called Senior Planning Group, located at 222 Center Street, a retirement and financial planning company with family member Russell Stellfox as their Vice President and marketing analyst.During the opening event of Liberty Tax Service, guests and patrons were treated to strawberry cake, refreshments, a ceremonial wine toast and informative literature.Liberty Tax Service's full time office manager is Rocco Arruzzo Sr., who has over 35 years experience in tax preparation and accounting and is a graduate of Wilkes University, a member of The AmericanAssociation of Accountants, and began his career with the Internal Revenue Service as a Revenue Investigator. After 13 years with the IRS, Arruzzo became the manager of Financial Tax Associates satellite office in Bloomsburg and built his own accounting business, Paperworks Inc., that serviced over 900 individual and business clients.In addition to supporting other local businesses, owner Deborah Wertz also pointed out their continued commitment to the local community by offering fundraising opportunities for local charities and planning future involvement in community parades, events and activities, such as a roadside party. Wertz, Arruzzo, and assistant manager Celena Bamford pointed out that they are currently teaching free tax education, preparation and certification classes, minus the cost for books. Liberty Tax Service is a franchise tax service that started in 1997 when current franchise CEO and founder John Hewitt, who has 41 years experience in the tax industry, acquired a Canadian tax franchisor, U&R Tax Depot. In 1998, the company became Liberty Tax Service and opened five offices in the United States. Currently there are more than 3,500 Liberty Tax Service locations operating in the United States.Liberty Tax Service provides computerized income tax preparation, electronic filing and fast refund loans. They also participate with audit assistance, tax return checking, and tax preparation classes. Clients can also enjoy a free kid's play area, with flat screen DVD television and toys, for their children while parents get their taxes done.The new Liberty Tax Service office is currently looking to employ about 25-30 temporary office positions, consisting of tax preparers, marketers, and other office staff for the current tax season. In addition to many other incentives for new customers, starting March 1st, they will also be giving away 200 free tax returns to new customers."We are excited to be expanding Liberty's operations in Tamaqua," said John Hewitt, CEO and Founder of Liberty Tax Service. Hewitt added, "We pledge quality computerized tax preparation and superb customer service to the people of Tamaqua."The new Liberty Tax office is open Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. during peak tax season, or open anytime as needed. Their phone number is (570) 668-4026.