Write-Offs: A New Study on Planned Gifts, Charges for Nonprofit Tax Returns

July 24, 2003 | Read Time: 1 minute

Researchers at Boston College have designed and analyzed a survey on the use of planned-giving tools, such as charitable gift annuities and charitable trusts, that can offer significant tax breaks to donors. The survey asked whether respondents or their spouses had used any of 10 planned-giving approaches and, if not, whether they were considering such options or, if asked, whether they would consider doing so. The survey, conducted by Opinion Research Corporation International, was sponsored by the NonProfit Times Publishing Group.
The Internal Revenue Service has clarified that nonprofit organizations may charge members of the public up to 20 cents a page, and postage, for providing copies of their Form 990 federal informational returns. It has also changed its own fees and will provide the first 100 pages of any organization’s 990 free to members of the public. After that, the revenue service will charge 20 cents per page. Comments on the proposed fees or requests for a public hearing should be submitted by November 13 to CC:PA:RU (REG-142538-02), Room 5226, Internal Revenue Service, POB 7604, Ben Franklin Station, Washington, D.C. 20044. Comments may also be submitted electronically through the IRS Web site at http://www.irs.gov/regs.