Kelly Legislation to Enhance Charitable Giving Approved by Committee
Ways & Means Committee passes Charitable Giving Extension Act, among other bills co-sponsored by Rep. Kelly
WASHINGTON — Representative Mike Kelly (R-PA) – a member of the House Ways and Means Committee – delivered the following remarks yesterday ahead of the committee’s favorable mark-up of H.R. 3134, the Charitable Giving Extension Act, legislation which he introduced in the House of Representatives on September 19, 2013. The bill will extend the yearly deadline for deductible charitable contributions from December 31st to April 15th of the following year. It is designed to incentivize even more charitable giving by American taxpayers while enabling them to save more money.
Highlights of Rep. Kelly’s remarks:
“This is pretty much a commonsense thing. This is so basically American. I don’t think there’s a country in the world that – whose citizenry – has given more to charity than America, and this piece allows people to have up until April 15th of the following year the opportunity to deduct from the previous year’s income tax their contributions.”
“This is just simple. This is common sense. It’s about Americans helping Americans.”
“Eighty-eight percent of American families make charitable contributions. There is nobody else in the world – not in the history of the world – that has had this heart that we have as Americans.”
“All this piece does is allows people up to April 15th of the following year to continue to make charitable contributions. It’s just who we are. It’s so basic.”
“I think this is a pretty basic piece of legislation, Mr. Chairman, and I appreciate for bringing it forward. I hope my colleagues feel the same about this. This is quintessentially who we are as Americans and what we do as an American people. Allowing people, up until April 15th of the year following when they would be filing their income tax, to still make a charitable deduction. That to me is just good common sense.”
NOTE: According to the World Giving Index, the United States is the world's most generous nation, with a higher proportion of Americans involved in monetary giving, volunteering, and helping of strangers than citizens of any other country.
According to Independent Sector, Pennsylvania is home to more than 68,500 non-profit organizations which employ 727,200 people (almost 13.3% of the state’s workforce); generate $96.8 billion in annual revenues; and hold assets of $208 billion. Pennsylvania foundations give $1.3 billion annually.
In addition to the Charitable Giving Extension Act, yesterday the House Ways and Means Committee also approved several other pieces of legislation co-sponsored by Rep. Kelly to enhance charitable giving:
- HR 4619, “To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to make permanent the rule allowing certain tax-free distributions from individual retirement accounts for charitable purposes.”
- HR 4719, “To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to permanently extend and expand the charitable deduction for contributions of food inventory.”
- HR 4718, “To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to modify and make permanent bonus depreciation.”
- HR 2807, the Conservation Easement Incentive Act of 2013, under which the temporary rules for conservation easements would be made permanent, effective for qualified conservation contributions after 2013. It would provide certainty and stability to individuals and businesses seeking to contribute conservation easements for the benefit of local communities and the environment.
- Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, one of the largest land trusts in the country, has conserved more than 235,000 acres of farm and natural lands throughout Western Pennsylvania. Passing H.R. 2807 and making it permanent in the tax code will help the Conservancy to continue to preserving open spaces in the Third District and through Pennsylvania.
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