WOODVILLE – As millions of Americans have hustled to get their taxes filed for the Tax Day deadline of Wednesday, April 15, tax preparers, nationwide, have been swamped with assisting in that task.
For one Woodville man, the rush of business that comes with the season is a family tradition. Herschel “Wayne” Tucker, Jr., who owns and operates Tucker Professional Services, is following the footsteps of his late father, and has been working in that field since 1996. Now in his 30th year of doing it, he said it’s still all about the people.
“It’s about more than just numbers,” he said. “I’m still working with some of the same families my dad started with 60 years ago. That’s the real reward.”
Herschel Tucker, Sr., began preparing taxes in 1960, when the world was rapidly changing. In 1996, when his son joined, and the business became a family partnership, the two men shared more than just office space, but a family bond they brought to their work as tax preparers/advisers, while helping people navigate the complexities of life, one form at a time.
According to the most recent information available, there are, at present, more than 836,000 registered, active tax preparers in the United States, many of them seasonal, as an estimated 79 million Americans use professional help for filing their taxes.
In 1998, when Herschel, Sr., died, Wayne Tucker stepped up and helped usher the family business into the digital age of today. His wife, Debra, said that although, unfortunately, she never got to meet Herschel, Sr., Wayne has been a steady hand in helping out local families navigate complexities, and she marveled at his longevity in continuing service to the community that his father began.
“The one thing that hasn’t changed is the personal care he brings to every client who walks through the door,” she said.
