October 22, 1998 | Read Time: 1 minute
Revised statistics released by the I.R.S. show that the deductions Americans claimed for charitable contributions rose from $74.9-billion in 1995 to an estimated $86.2-billion in 1996, an increase of nearly 15 per cent.
Earlier this year, the I.R.S. released preliminary figures that showed a smaller, 12.4-per-cent increase in the amount written off from 1995 to 1996, to a total of $84.3-billion (The Chronicle, May 7). The revenue service frequently updates its numbers as it continues to analyze data on taxpayers.
The revised statistics show that the average contribution claimed on each return rose from $2,455 in 1995 to $2,727 in 1996. Preliminary figures had shown a slightly smaller increase.
The I.R.S. did not revise its earlier figures showing that the percentage of individual returns that included write-offs for donations was 26.2 per cent in 1996, up from 25.8 per cent in 1995.
The I.R.S. published the revised data in its Statistics of Income Bulletin for summer 1998. Copies may be obtained for $15 from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, P.O. Box 371954, Pittsburgh 15250-7954.
