Charitable Giving Answer Book (2011)

Almost as long as the U.S. Constitution has permitted the taxation of income, Congress has provided some form of relief for taxpayers who make charitable contributions. An often-stated reason for such tax relief is to encourage the provision of social services by private charities. While the concept of providing a tax deduction for charitable contributions is simple, the rules are complex; applying these rules on a day-to-day basis thus presents a number of challenges. The Charitable Giving Answer Book meets these challenges by tackling a host of both common and hot and emerging issues. It provides quick answers to tough planning and compliance questions that frequently challenge practitioners whether they are estate planners, consultants to philanthropists, or those who manage and consult charitable organizations. The practitioner-preferred format in the Answer Book saves time for the busy professional. To help facilitate fast and effective research on complicated questions that need extra attention, citations are included to federal statutes, regulations, rulings, and cases that control whether a particular charitable contribution is deductible, nondeductible, or only partially deductible. Contents include: The History of the Charitable Deduction; The Charitable Contribution; The Charitable Deduction; Contributions of Specific Types of Property; Charitable Remainder Trusts; Other Split-Interest Gifts; Other Gifts of Partial Interests (Qualified Conservation Contributions and Contributions of Remainder Interests in Personal Residences or Farms); Contributions for Partial Consideration; Other Planned Giving Vehicles/Transportation; and Record-keeping and Reporting Requirements