Presidential election campagn contribution

also curious whether you saw any significant increase or decrease in yes's

I don't even ask.

I don't even ask.

Why not? It is their choice, not the preparer's.

http://money.cnn.com/2014/04/11/pf/taxes/checkoff-box/ says:
In 1977, nearly 29% of taxpayers had opted to contribute to the fund. By 1992, that percentage dropped to 19%. And in 2013, a mere 6% of taxpayers had checked off the box designating $3 toward presidential campaign funding.

I don't even ask.

Why not? It is their choice, not the preparer's.

That is true, and I used to ask the question, but now I'm in Cathy's camp. Frankly, I stopped asking because of the amount of outright hostility I was the recipient of. Insanity is the act of doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting a different result, so now I SALY and concern myself with more important things, like alphabetizing the "Other Expenses" items on Schedule C.

That question is in my organizer - "Check here if you want $3..." If they don't check it, I have my answer.

Well, I give up. Is this thing a *contribution* or a *designation* or an *earmark*?
Will somebody cite the law that provides for it, so that I can find out what it is, please?
All I remember is that it won't reduce my refund...

I don't even ask.

Why not? It is their choice, not the preparer's.

Then when I review the return with them, they can tell me. I don't wish to make tax return preparation a political discussion. I fired one client because his dislike of a former president was based on race. I didn't care for that president either but I was sick of hearing this man's comments. I can only imagine what he would say about the contribution to the Presidential campaign. He would itch and moan and I would probably end up physically booting him out of the office.

There's still a box????

https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/26/6096
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/26/9006

Spell, you say "Jump!" and I say "How high?"

The answer to the survey should be no more than 6% according to Nate Silver's fivethirtyeight webpage:

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/a- ... n-funding/

Note his chart that shows participation dropping from 29% (1980) to 6% (2013).

My default is to not check the box. Then if the client tells me otherwise, I change it before releasing the return if that is an option or the next year if the return was already filed. I think that has happened twice in the last twenty years.

I've taken to telling clients I"m checkinhg the box yes unless they tell me not to. No objections so far. Everyone is so burned out on national politics, they're too tired to disagree.

I've taken to telling clients I"m checkinhg the box yes unless they tell me not to. No objections so far. Everyone is so burned out on national politics, they're too tired to disagree.

That reminds me of what behavioral economist Dan Ariely wrote about with organ donation statistics (he also has an excellent Ted Talk on this topic called "Are We in Control of our Decisions?" which you can find on Youtube). In some countries like the US, you have to check a box in your DMV form to become an organ donor -- few people check the box so few people sign up. In other countries, like Austria, the equivalent box is to opt out of being an organ donor -- few people check the box so most people are organ donors.

"It is because of the difficulty and the emotionality of these decisions that they just don’t know what to do so they adopt the default option (by the way this also happens to physicians making medical decisions, and also to people making investment and retirement decisions)." (http://danariely.com/2008/05/05/3-main- ... sychology/)

So, by creating the default option of opt-in-unless-you-say-so, your clients contribute more to the fund. For the rest of us, we are opt-out-unless-you-say-so, so our clients contribute less to the fund.

It is in my organizer as well. If client does not answer either way (which is rare), I just check no. I will say probably 99% of my clients check no.

not only this question but at the state level too. NY for example:

60a Return a Gift to Wildlife
60b Missing/Exploited Children Fund
60c Breast Cancer Research Fund
60d Alzheimer’s Fund
60e Olympic Fund ($2 or $4; see page 27)
60f Prostate and Testicular Cancer Research and Education Fund
60g 9/11 Memorial
60h Volunteer Firefighting & EMS Recruitment Fund
60i Teen Health Education
60j Veterans Remembrance
60k Homeless Veterans
60l Mental Illness Anti-Stigma Fund
60m Women’s Cancers Education and Prevention Fund
60n Autism Fund
60o Veterans’ Homes
60p TaxProTalk ice cream fund

ok one of those I made up.

Chris, you forgot
6q Cathy's Chocolate Fund

How did you forget 60r The Human Fund (money for people)

How did you forget 60r The Human Fund (money for people)

I thought you give to them at Christmas, not at tax time!

Festivus. After the airing of grievances.

As per the cited Section 9006, "Such designation shall be made in such manner as the Secretary prescribes by regulations...."
Thank you, Len.