Long Overdue Sit-down with World Vision & Call to Action in Support of S Corp Tax Reform Bill

 Left to right: Gary C. Smith, President/CEO,
 Cruz A. Ramos, VP of Public Affairs, NAEIR
 and Robert G. Zachritz, Senior Director,
 Advocacy & Government Relations for World Vision

NAEIR and World Vision

Several weeks ago, Gary C. Smith, President/CEO and Jim Jones, Director of Public Affairs, NAEIR and I spent a few days in Washington, DC mostly taking care of business related to HR 2592, the Charitable Contribution Parity & Enhancement Act. 

After an earlier morning meeting during our first full day there, we hailed a cab to Union Station where we then proceeded to look around for someone that would also be actively looking for us. In short order we made the acquaintance of Robert G. Zachritz, Senior Director, Advocacy & Government Relations for World Vision. We then took a short walk to a coffee concession and sat down so as to get to know each other better. 

Although their corporate offices are in Washington State, their advocacy group, headed by Bob, has an office in Washington, DC. World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization that works with families throughout the world. Bob’s team “creates strategy for how World Vision engages with the U.S. government on public policies that effect the world’s poor.”

Our meeting served as the first of what we hope will be a continuing series of opportunities to get to know each other’s organizations better. We’re confident that there will also be opportunities to learn from each other so that we may better serve our respective constituencies.

We Need Your Help Now! Support HR 2592; the Charitable Contribution Parity & Enhancement Act

We recently sent out a blast email to NAEIR’s membership as well as many of our donors and prospective donors in order to raise awareness concerning the importance of HR 2592. In addition to asking our membership base of charitable organizations and schools for their support, Gary C. Smith has also asked for the support of many of the companies that we work with or that have, over the years, at least expressed interest in donating their excess inventory. We’ve asked specifically that this support take the form of their contacting their Representatives on Capitol Hill and asking them to get behind the bill now.

Gary C. Smith, President/CEO, NAEIR

Currently, in the absence of any enhanced tax benefit available to them, a small number of S Corporations and other small businesses continue to donate to NAEIR and other gifts-in-kind types of organizations throughout the U.S.

The modest level of donations being made by S Corporations and other small companies at the present time strongly suggests that if the enhanced deduction now available only to C Corporations were extended to S Corporations and other pass-throughs, the level of inventory donations made nationally to thousands of qualified nonprofits as well as NAEIR would increase substantially.

If passed, HR 2592 would extend the enhanced tax benefit to S Corporations and other small companies. The bill has been introduced by Representative Schock and co-sponsored by Representatives Danny Davis and Bobby Schilling. We are also speaking with other Representatives in Congress that have expressed interest in this legislation.

With the business community in general and small businesses in particular struggling to stay afloat, the availability of a tax deduction and the ability to donate slow-moving inventory to deserving charities versus scrapping perfectly useful goods makes good sense all around.

Thus far, we’ve gotten a small number of responses. We’re told by individuals that have some experience in these matters, that a handful of responses is actually representative of a larger population of like-minded folks across the country. At NAEIR, we certainly hope that this is true. We all need support for the bill now more than ever.

Please join Congressmen Aaron Schock, Danny Davis and Bobby Schilling in supporting HR 2592. Call Congressman Schock’s office now. For more information on the bill you may also contact Gary C. Smith, President/CEO or Cruz A. Ramos, VP of Public Affairs, NAEIR at 309/343-0704, at extension 201 or 341.

We’re asking that you copy Gary C. Smith at gcs@naeir.org on any emails that you send to your Representatives in support of HR 2592. Doing so will help us in our ongoing assessment of the growing support for the bill.

NAEIR and Independent Sector work together in support of HR 2592: the Charitable Contribution Parity & Enhancement Act

Left to Right: Lois Fu, Vice President, Public Policy for IS,
Geoffrey Plague, Director, Government Relations, Gary C.
Smith, President/CEO and Cruz Ramos, Vice President of
Public Affairs

During one of the general sessions at the recent Independent Sector 2011 annual conference in Chicago, I had the good fortune of sitting next to Lois Fu, Vice President, Public Policy for Independent Sector. As I’ve mentioned in a previous posting, IS is a highly respected national nonprofit organization that actively works on behalf of nonprofit organizations throughout the country on a wide range of issues.

Although I hadn’t met Lois previously, as soon as I introduced myself she informed me that she was aware of HR 2592, the Charitable Contribution Parity & Enhancement Act and that she had already met with Gary C. Smith, President/CEO and Jim Jones, Director of Public Affairs for NAEIR earlier in 2011 just prior to our joining IS. She added that IS has decided to include HR 2592 in a listing along with a number of other bills they are supporting.

HR 2592 seeks to extend the up to twice-cost federal tax deduction to S Corporations and other smaller companies when they donate excess, slow-moving inventory to charitable organizations. At this time, only C Corporations are generally eligible for this enhanced deduction.

The passage of HR 2592 would provide a significantly larger number of companies with a tax incentive that would in turn make greater amounts of inventory available to charities throughout the U.S.

I was in attendance along with Gary and Jim at a more recent meeting with Lois Fu and Geoffrey Plague, Director, Government Relations. Lois and Geoffrey both discussed some of the challenges that IS is facing as Congress contends with a number of other legislative realities that figure prominently on its agenda through the end of the year.

It becomes all the more critical then, for us to let our representatives in Congress know that they need to support HR 2592, as this bill represents a much needed lifeline to struggling S Corporations and other small businesses as well as deserving charitable organizations throughout the country.

Congressman Aaron Schock is sponsoring this bill and congressmen Danny Davis and Bobby Schilling are its co-sponsors.

Please call or email your representatives now and let them know that you support the bill. We would also appreciate your copying us on any emails you send to your representatives. Our respective email addresses are car@naeir.org and gcs@naeir.org. Please give me or Gary C. Smith a call at 309/343-0704, for any additional information.