Organizations in Support of the IRA Rollover and other Charitable Giving Incentives

July 7, 2008

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Dear Senator _________:

The undersigned charities, representing every sub-sector of the nonprofit community, and serving citizens and communities through the United States, request that the Senate take immediate action to restore the package of expired charitable giving tax incentives.  

The work of our nation’s charities has been enhanced by several tax provisions included in the Pension Protection Act of 2006, but which expired at the end of 2007. Among these important giving incentives are the IRA rollover, which permitted older Americans to donate to charities from their individual retirement accounts, and enhanced charitable deductions for corporate contributions of food, book, and computer inventories. Each has strong, bi-partisan support, and all have been incorporated in the packages of tax extenders: H.R. 6049, the Renewable Energy and Job Creation Act of 2008, S.2886, the Alternative Minimum Tax and Extenders Tax Relief Act of 2008, S. 3098, the Alternative Minimum Tax and Extenders Tax Relief Act of 2008, and the Baucus substitute to H.R.6049, introduced as the Energy Independence and Tax Relief Act of 2008 .

The urgency of these provisions cannot be overstated. Congress must act as soon as possible to restore the IRA Charitable Rollover and other giving incentives so that charities can receive the resources that enable them to provide vital services to the people and communities most in need.

Retroactive enactment of these provisions late in the year is of little consequence for donations that are awaiting Congressional action. We ask that you consider the following:

• Helping charities help communities today : The resulting gifts from individual retirement accounts -- ranging from as little as $10 to the legal maximum of $100,000 -- have helped organizations build cancer centers, develop programs for counseling at-risk youth, support housing for homeless families, conserve wilderness areas, and provide art therapy for people with developmental disabilities. Delayed renewal of the giving incentive delays the services that our citizens deserve.
• Promoting gifts of fresh and nutritious food : Food donations are urgently needed to feed the increasing numbers of citizens going to food banks across the country. Like donations of fresh fruits and vegetable, restoration of the food inventory incentive to all business taxpayers is time sensitive.
• Keeping up with knowledge : School opens for the fall in less than two months. The charitable incentives can help ensure that children have access to the latest books in their libraries and the best technology available.

In closing, we ask that you enact the charitable and other incentives before the August recess.

Respectfully submitted,