July 26, 2001 | Read Time: 1 minute
By GRANT WILLIAMS
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New statistics released by the Internal Revenue Service show that deductions claimed by Americans for charitable contributions rose from $109.2-billion in 1998 to an estimated $120.3-billion in 1999, an increase of 10.1 percent. The jump would mark the fourth straight year that charitable deductions claimed by individuals rose by 10 percent or more, although the I.R.S. is likely to revise the figures before making them final. The I.R.S. statistics show that the percentage of individual returns that included write-offs for donations edged up in 1999 to 27.9 percent of all returns, the highest share recorded in the 1990’s. The average contribution claimed on each return rose from $3,229 in 1998 to $3,385 in 1999. The I.R.S.published the data in its Statistics of Income Bulletin for spring 2001. The report may be obtained for $22 a copy from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, P.O. Box 371954, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15250-7954. |
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