Woman wins tax deduction for taking care of 70 stray cats

[somone]

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304778304576377744105236346.html

Stray Cat Strut: Woman Beats IRS
By LAURA SAUNDERS

When Jan Van Dusen appeared before a U.S. Tax Court judge and a team of Internal Revenue Service lawyers more than a year ago, there was more at stake than her tax deduction for taking care of 70 stray cats.

Hanging in the balance were millions of dollars in annual tax deductions by animal-rescue volunteers across the nation—and some needed clarity on the treatment of volunteers' unreimbursed expenses for 1.55 million other IRS-recognized charities.

Early this month, Ms. Van Dusen learned she had won her case. "I was stunned," she said. "It feels great to have established this precedent."

The Tax Court allowed her to take a charitable deduction for expenses she incurred while taking care of the cats in her home for an IRS-approved charity, Fix Our Ferals. Among the $12,068 in expenses she deducted: food, veterinarian bills, litter, a portion of utility bills, and other items such as paper towels and garbage bags...

[Kceres]

1. Good. She is a nice person providing a needed service.

[Liberal_in_LA]

2. good

[HockeyMom]

3. I was able to deduct my "donation" fee

for the 2 rescued kittens I adopted. They were spayed and netured, chips implanted, and given their shots. Since the shelter was a non-profit organization, the fees I paid to adopt were considered a charitable contribution. H&R Block had a local list.

[1monster]

4. Wow! I never even thought of deducting the expenses for the cats I've fostered

for a no-kill animal adoption service. It got rather expensive with vet bills too.

Oh well. Too late now. I'll just keep it in mind if I ever foster more.

[kath]

5. If you have the receipts/records, you could probably file amended returns for the past 3 years.

[customerserviceguy]

6. I used to be a tax accountant

And never in my wildest dreams did I envision there would be a tax shelter for being a crazy cat lady.