NPW Supports Nationwide Push to Protect Charitable Tax Deductions

The Westchester County Association Partners with NPW in effort

“The charitable tax deduction provides a critical source of revenue for nonprofits who deliver a wide range of essential services to Westchester including child care, health care, programs for the aging and much more,” said Joanna Straub, Executive Director of NPW, which represents 90 nonprofits in the county. “The nonprofit sector also creates recreational opportunities through our parks, nature centers, museums and galleries. Studies have proven that limiting deduction leads to a decline in donations. The charitable deduction reduces the tax burden for individuals.

“We join our fellow nonprofit organizations throughout the country in strong support of retaining charitable tax deductions,” she added.

The Westchester County Association also has announced its partnership with NPW on this issue. “We are pleased to join Nonprofit Westchester in this very important cause to retain charitable tax deductions for the nonprofit community that provides many necessary services and programs to our business community,” said Marissa Brett, Executive Director of Economic Development for The Westchester County Association.

Nonprofits throughout the nation have recently come together to take a stand in protecting the charitable tax deduction as Congress considers major changes to federal tax policy. Recent reports have shown that publicly announced million-dollar gifts have declined drastically, to close to 1,500 in 2012 from more than 8,000 in 2008. Many nonprofits, including those that provide services to the less fortunate, continue to feel the effects of the recession as unemployment and wage cuts impact charitable giving.  

Congress recently established a Budget Conference Committee that is charged with making recommendations to Congress on federal spending.  These recommendations could propose changes to the tax code.  It is expected that a comprehensive tax reform bill will emerge from the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee, which could include changes to the charitable tax deduction.

Protect Giving – DC Day, hosted by the Charitable Giving Coalition, invites nonprofits to meet policymakers and their staff to explain how federal tax policy impacts the success of their organizations.

For more information about Nonprofit Westchester, visit www.npwestchester.org or call 914-332-6679.

Nonprofit Westchester

The nonprofit sector is comprised of over 5,000 organizations in Westchester County who collectively employ nearly 100,000 people. Nonprofit Westchester (NPW) provides the nonprofit sector with a single unified voice for the role it plays in the economic vitality and sustainability of the county, focusing on sharing resources, connections, and information to strengthen Westchester in partnership with the for-profit and government sectors. Under a cooperative mission to learn, advocate and collaborate, the organization represents 90 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations in the county and works to improve public awareness and build the capacity of nonprofits for a more just and caring community. For more information, visit www.npwestchester.org.