Until Dec. 31, taxpayers who donate can receive a 50 percent return on their taxes, at a maximum $100 for individuals and $200 for couples
MARQUETTE -- If ever there's a time to donate to your community, officials say it's now.
In May, the state announced its plans to axe Michigan's longstanding tax credit on donations, which expires at the end of this year. Until Dec. 31, taxpayers who donate can receive a 50 percent return on their taxes, at a maximum $100 for individuals and $200 for couples.
The Marquette County Community Foundation generated nearly two million dollars in donations last year. Officials say that number may decrease but not drastically.
"Although we have a lot of people who are struggling right now, those who aren't feel their pain, and in Marquette County, we tend to take care of each other, and so for those who can, they continue to give," said Carole Touchinsky, Executive Director of the Marquette County Community Foundation.
Some of our Facebook viewers agree.
"I donate to charity because I donate to charity. Having a tax write-off or not was never an issue for me," said Debbie Malta.
On the official government website, you can see a list of charities that benefit from the tax credit. You'll see that the list of organizations that don't offer the incentive is longer.
"Churches, United Way, Big Brothers, Big Sisters and cancer societies--I can go on and on--those charities don't qualify," said Lloyd Houle, a certified public accountant.
In fact, universities, community organizations, homeless shelters and food pantries seem to be the only ones that do.
"It's basically a non-issue," Houle said. "It's a relatively small segment of the nonprofit that our clients contribute to. It's a relatively small credit compared to the income and their motivation for donating to those charities."
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