FYI regarding 2004 Taxes and Tsunami Donations

[Pacifist Patriot]

From Sen. Bill Nelson:

<snip>

As a way to help the victims of the tsunami, Congress passed a law last week allowing taxpayers to make charitable donations for tsunami relief through the rest of January and still take the deduction from their 2004 taxes. In order to qualify, the donation must be made specifically for the relief of victims in areas affected by the Indian Ocean tsunami, and they must be financial donations rather than goods or services.

The law, passed Jan. 7, allows taxpayers to deduct contributions made in January from either their 2004 or 2005 tax returns. Any donations made after Jan. 31 must be deducted on 2005 tax returns. While taxpayers don’t need to fill out any additional forms, they should indicate on their check or credit card that the donation is meant to be used in the tsunami relief effort. For more information, please visit the IRS website.

http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=133843,00.html

[amazona]

1. you can't deduct unless you do Schedule A

People who take the standard deduction don't get anything for donating to any charity at any time, so the point is pretty moot for most people.

The conservation movement is a breeding ground of communists
and other subversives. We intend to clean them out,
even if it means rounding up every birdwatcher in the country.
--John Mitchell, US Attorney General 1969-72