Carson man leads free tax preparation service for seniors

Gil Yanuck moved to Nevada partly because he liked the idea of not having to pay state income tax. And now he's surrounded by income tax returns until April 15.

But Yanuck, assistant state director for the AARP's Tax-Aide program, said he receives joy from helping seniors complete their income taxes.

He runs 40 volunteer sites in Southern Nevada and 22 in Northern Nevada, including one at the Carson City Senior Citizens Center. Last year, 16,000 Nevadans got help through Tax-Aide.

"One you do someone's taxes and you see how much they appreciate it, that's something you can't put in a paycheck," he said.

Yanuck, 64, retired as the owner and chief executive officer of the Southern California aerospace company Monogram Systems in 1999. He still works as a consultant on mergers and acquisitions. He and his wife, Annette, moved from Los Angeles to Carson City because they like its people and weather. The Yanucks have three children.

Yanuck is also vice chairman of the Carson City advisory board to manage wildlife, a member of the governor's conservation team and the Carson-Tahoe Hospital membership board. He was recently appointed by the secretary of the treasury to represent Nevada on the National Taxpayer Advocacy Panel.

"I think the reason why I got so involved in the community was to give back to society what I had been taking. I think in these activities I participate in, I feel a lot of self-actualization."

Other than his family, Yanuck said he is most proud of making his aerospace company into an enterprise that did $120 million annually in business.

Yanuck said his business experience has helped him realize that employees and customers will always be the most valuable source for an employer.

n Contact reporter Becky Bosshart at bbosshart@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1212.

Tax Help

AARP has scheduled the following dates and locations to help seniors in Carson City with their 2004 income taxes:

n Carson City Senior Citizens Center, 901 Beverly Drive, 883-0703, Mondays and Wednesdays 1-5 p.m. by appointment.

n FISH 138 E. Long St., 882-8448, Saturdays 10 a.m.-1 p.m. by appointment.