Having written many articles on what takes place from January through April, each year, relative to our tax payments and refunds, I understand that we need reinforcement and repetition on certain issues. Just as advertisers and marketers understand the power of continuous exposure to their messages, Black folks need the same thing, especially when it comes to getting us to act on basic, sound, practical, and collective economic and business principles. So please take a little time to read my latest repetitive missive on one of this nation’s finest Black-owned businesses: ComproTax.

The tax preparation industry generates between $6 billion and $9 billion annually, which indicates that there are plenty of tax returns to go around – the IRS estimates that there will be over 250 million filed by 2018 with revenues of $11 billion! Compared to our percentage of population (13 percent), Black-owned tax preparation businesses should have revenues of at least $1 billion. As far as I am concerned, ComproTax alone should be a billion-dollar business, considering it has some 220 affiliates throughout the nation.

One advantage that ComproTax brings to its customers is year-round services. That’s because ComproTax is more than a tax preparation service. Most of the large chains only come into our neighborhoods for four months or so, until around April 15. ComproTax is always there, providing Tax Preparation Training, Insurance Products, Bookkeeping Services, Payroll Services, Business Mentoring, and Small Business Consulting.

Additionally, Compro Tax Founder, Jackie May-field, and his two co-founders, Yusuf Muhammad and Craig Johnson, believe in something many Black businesses only talk about: Giving back. They return some of their profits to community activities and charitable causes, and they provide sponsorships for many Black events across the country. In other words, they are “Conscientiously Conscious” business owners.

Mayfield stated: “When it comes to tax preparation, you have a lot of choices. So, why choose ComproTax? ComproTax provides complete and professional tax preparation and bookkeeping services with the personal attention that you deserve. We have over 220 offices nationwide and we are steadily growing. In addition to our convenient office locations, we have hundreds of mobile affiliates that will come directly to you. Our tax preparers are committed to ongoing training to ensure that you get the best service and the best tax refund available. In short, we offer a vast network of trained professionals that are ready to serve you in tax season and out of season.”

He continued: “At ComproTax we are about relationships. We work hard to get your business and develop a relationship of trust. We do this by being knowledgeable about new laws and requirements that affect your taxes, being reliable, and being confidential. That’s why our customers come back to us year after year. Don’t trust just anyone to handle your taxes and confidential books. Contact a ComproTax professional and begin a relationship with someone that you can trust.”

One thing I personally love to brag about is the Compro Event Center, a full-service convention center built, owned, and operated by ComproTax a few years ago and located in Beaumont, Texas. Managed by Fred Zeno, another ComproTax stalwart and long-time business associate to Mayfield and the co-founders, the Event Center is a spacious and luxuriously appointment venue that can be used for weddings, various meetings and conventions, parties, and banquets. I am proud to say that THE One Million Conscious and Conscientious Black Contributors and Voters will hold our quarterly Training and Orientation gathering there January 6-8, 2017. It would be great of other Black groups would do likewise; it is one thing to talk about supporting Black venues, but it is much better to act upon those words.

ComproTax was founded in 1982 and has since created a platform for true economic empowerment via entrepreneurship, by modeling a high level of conscientious consciousness in addition to merely talking about it. As Brother Mayfield said in a speech 16 years ago at a MATAH conference in Philadelphia, “Not only should we be conscious, our consciousness must be disturbed enough for us to do what must be done to achieve real economic power.”
To that I say Ase (Ashe) and Amen!

We should support this and other Black owned businesses that believe in reciprocity and providing top-quality goods and services to their customers. For more information on ComproTax and to find an office near you, go to www.comprotax.net or call 1-888-884-2829. In any case, however, use a competent Black-owned tax firm this year.

James Clingman is the nation’s most prolific writer on economic empowerment for Black people. His latest book, “Black Dollars Matter! Teach Your Dollars How to Make More Sense,” is available on his website, Blackonomics.com.