Maryland tax tidbit: charitable checkoffs

For almost 20 years, the hubby and I called Maryland home. One of the many great things we loved about the Old Line State was how its residents cherish the Chesapeake Bay.

It's a wonderful estuary, with a ragged shoreline creating fabulous inlets and mini-bays that are home to fantastic wildlife. Then you've got the marshes that serve as beautiful buffers and additional habitat.

So every tax-filing season we took advantage of Maryland's checkoff program and gave some of our tax refund to the Chesapeake Bay and Endangered Species Fund. The check-box gift also supports the state's Wildlife and Heritage Service.

Heck, even in those years when we owed the state, we bumped up our bill a bit as a gift to the conservation groups.

It's easy to contribute this way. And it's a good reminder of how all qualified charitable gifts can help you the taxpayer, as well as your favorite nonprofit.

Gifts made via your Maryland state tax return to the Bay fund or the state's other tax-return-approved charity, the Maryland Cancer Fund, are tax deductible on your federal return (if you itemize) for the year the contribution was made.

That means donations made via checkoff this filing season will count as a 2010 IRS deduction next year.

To Maryland officials, good job! And to Maryland taxpayers, please consider giving a bit to a good cause at tax-filing time.

Tax trip around the United States: This post is part of our series highlighting tax information from the 50 U.S. states and Washington, D.C. You can read other state tax blurbs at our Complete menu of tasty state tax tidbits.

The State Tax Departments page provides links to official state and District of Columbia revenue Web sites so that you can find out more about your home's tax laws and filing requirements.

As we work through the 2010 tax season, a different state will be featured each day as noted in Don't forget your state taxes! Check back to see what tax tidbit we share about your home.

Related posts:

• Keep the giving going
• Year-end Money Moves 2009: Giving
• The 12 Tax Tips of Christmas: #4 Be Charitable
• State Tax Tidbits
• State Tax Departments
• Don't forget your state taxes!
• 9 states of no-tax note ... sort of

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Comments

[ParisGirl111]

I have never donated via tax filing, but I guess this is a simple way to donate if you do not do it on a regular basis. I prefer to choose the charity of my choice from a large group of charities.