There are 114 total conferees, 82 from the House and 19 from the Senate. Not every conferee will work on every issue. So, we are asking you to contact the Conference committee chairs and conferees who are also Finance committee chairs. However, please contact your own legislator and any members you have a special relationship with on this important issue.
It is very helpful to share information about what is at stake with this change. Please consider sharing with legislators the monetary amount and number of individual contributions you receive each year, along with information about the important programs in your community that will be endangered without this funding. Also consider engaging board members as well as community and corporate partners on this issue. Consider making a phone call, emailing, or even mailing a letter.
- Budget Conference Committee Chairs:
- Sen. Harry Brown (R-Jones, Onslow)
- Sen. Kathy Harrington (R-Gaston)
- Sen. Brent Jackson (R-Duplin, Johnston, Sampson)
- Rep. Nelson Dollar (R-Wake)
- Rep. Linda P. Johnson (R-Cabarrus)
- Rep. Donny Lambeth (R-Forsyth)
- Rep. Chuck McGrady (R-Henderson)
- Rep. William Brawley (R-Mecklenburg)
- Rep. Jason Saine (R-Lincoln)
- Rep. Mike Hager (R-Burke, Rutherford)
- Rep. David R. Lewis (R-Harnett)
- Finance Committee Chairs:
- Sen. Bill Rabon (R-Bladen, Brunswick, New Hanover, Pender)
- Sen. Bob Rucho (R-Mecklenburg)
- Sen. Jerry W. Tillman (R-Moore, Randolph)
- Rep. Hastings (R-Cleveland, Gaston)
- Rep. S. Martin (R-Pitt, Wilson)
- Rep. Setzer (R-Catawba)
- Rep. Szoka (R-Cumberland)
- *Rep. Brawley and Rep. Saine, House Finance Senior Chairs are listed above
Background
In case you missed our previous updates, here is some background: The Senate tax plan proposed in the budget includes a $20,000 cap on all itemized deductions, including charitable contributions, mortgage interest, property taxes paid, medical expenses, investment interest, job expenses, and all other allowable federal itemized deductions. This would effectively eliminate state tax incentives for charitable giving. Many taxpayers would reach the $20,000 cap from the total of their other deductions, so they would have no state tax incentive to make charitable contributions. Furthermore, because the state standard deduction would go up (to $17,500 in 2016, increasing to $18,500 by 2020), there would be very little tax benefit for any individuals to itemize their deductions on state taxes.
North Carolinians gave $5.9 billion in charitable contributions in 2012, the most recent year for which federal income tax data is available. The exact cost of the proposed $20,000 cap on itemized deductions is unknown. The N.C. Center for Nonprofits estimates an overall reduction in charitable giving of $60 million to $900 million. This could result in untold harm to our local communities.In recent years, Hawaii is the only other state that has put in place a cap on itemized deductions similar to one proposed in the Senate budget. Hawaii’s cap only applied to taxpayers with adjusted gross incomes of $100,000 or more. It had such a large negative impact on charitable giving that Hawaii passed a law just one year after it took effect to remove the charitable deduction from the state cap on itemized deductions.