Charitable Deductions Declined in 2008, IRS Report Says

Tax deductions claimed by Americans for charitable contributions declined by 7.2 percent from 2007 to 2008, according to “preliminary data” from the Internal Revenue Service.

The tax agency will make a final report months from now.

The interim figures show a decline in deductions from $174.5-billion in 2007 to $161.9-billion in 2008.

The IRS said the number of tax returns filed with the deduction for charitable contributions declined by 4.7 percent, from 41.1-miliion in 2007 to 39.2-million in 2008.