February 21, 2002 | Read Time: 1 minute
New statistics released by the Internal Revenue Service show that deductions claimed for charitable contributions rose from $109.2-billion in 1998 to an estimated $125.8-billion in 1999, an increase of 15.2 percent.
The jump marked the fourth straight year that charitable deductions claimed by Americans rose by 10 percent or more. An increase of 10.1 percent was registered from 1997 to 1998; 15.1 percent from 1996 to 1997; and 14.9 percent from 1995 to 1996.
Last year, the IRS released preliminary figures that showed a smaller, 10.1-percent increase in the total amount written off from 1998 to 1999 (The Chronicle, July 26, 2001).
The revenue service updates its numbers as it continues to analyze data on taxpayers.
The IRS said that a big factor in the double-digit increases in deductions for charitable giving over the past four years was a large rise in noncash gifts, which from 1998 to 1999 jumped by 30.9 percent.
The revised statistics show that the average amount claimed on each giver’s tax return rose from $3,229 in 1998 to $3,541 in 1999. The government’s preliminary figures had shown a smaller increase — to $3,385 — in 1999.
The adjusted figures show that the percentage of individual write-offs for donations edged up in 1999 to nearly 28 percent of all returns, the highest share recorded during the decade.
The Internal Revenue Service published the revised information in its Statistics of Income Bulletin for fall 2001. Copies of the publication may be obtained for $34 from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, P.O. Box 371954, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15250-7954.
