"You can obtain an even larger bang-for-your-buck by giving appreciated property to charity."
It has often been said that "It is better to give than to receive". Not everyone subscribes to this belief; however, it is easier to do so when Uncle Sam is footing part of the bill.
Subject to limitations that rarely come into play, most charitable gifts generate a tax deduction equal to the fair market value of the property given to charity. This means that Uncle Sam is paying approximately one-third of the charitable gift. You can obtain an even larger bang-for-your-buck by giving appreciated property to charity. Let's see why.
Gifts of Appreciated Property
Normally when you sell appreciated property, such as stock, the difference between what you paid for the stock and the amount you sold it for is subject to income tax at capital gains rates. Let's assume you want to make a $10,000 gift to your favorite charity. You have some XYZ stock for which you paid $3,000 that has increased in value nicely and is now worth $10,000, and you have decided to sell the stock to make the charitable gift. The sale of the stock will generate gain of $7,000 ($10,000 sales proceeds less $3,000 cost), but the $10,000 charitable contribution will provide you with a $10,000 income tax deduction that will more than offset the $7,000 gain.
Where do you stand after all this is done? The XYZ stock is gone, but you've made your charitable contribution and you've got a tax refund of approximately $930 ($3,000 income tax deduction in excess of the gain incurred on the sale of the stock at an estimated tax rate of 31%).
For most taxpayers, however, there is an exemption from income tax for the gain element of appreciated property that is given to charity. Giving the XYZ stock to charity does not result in $7,000 of gain. Consequently, if you were to give the XYA stock to charity instead of selling the stock to make the $10,000 gift, you would get the full benefit of your $10,000 charitable deduction, rather than using up $7,000 of this deduction merely to offset $7,000 of gain on the sale of the stock. Your refund check would then approximate $3,000 ($10,000 at 31% estimated tax rate), rather that $930. (Remember, if the charity sells the XYZ stock after receiving it from you, it will have no tax to pay. Public charities are exempt from income tax on the sale of investment securities.)
Take a look at this charitable giving technique from a slightly different perspective. Let's assume that you would like to make the $10,000 charitable contribution, but you would also like to retain a $10,000 investment in the XYZ stock. If you have an extra $10,000 cash, you can obviously give it to the desired charity. But instead, why not give the XYZ stock to charity and buy another $10,000 block of XYZ stock? This way, when the XYZ stock is eventually sold, your cost basis in the stock will be $10,000, rather than $3,000, and your eventual gain (assuming the stock does not decrease in value) will be $7,000 less.
Act Now!
If you would like more information concerning this technique that can help you maximize the tax benefits of charitable giving, contact Levun, Goodman & Cohen or see your tax advisor.