Picture this scenario: Your nonprofit is hosting a gala with a silent auction. You and your fellow staff members are overwhelmed with all the craziness of working the event while your guests are having a good time. Then, at the end of the night, it’s time to announce the silent auction winners. The winners are ecstatic and riding high about the fun items they’ve won. Then, reality sets in: you have the unfortunate task of breaking it to the winners that they owe an additional sales tax on their prizes.
Thankfully, this is a hypothetical situation. But it could become real if the nonprofit and library fundraising tax exemption is allowed to lapse this year. HB 1808 would make this tax exemption permanent, which would allow nonprofits and donors to focus on charitable gifts instead of collecting taxes. Contact your State Representatives today and ask them to support HB 1808. Below is a simple, 5-minute advocacy action.
** Take Action **
- Visit the bill page by clicking here.
- Click on the “Comment on this bill” box to the right of the “Bill Status at a glance” box.
- Enter your address information and click “Verify District”
- Select your two Representatives members as the recipients and select the “Support” position.
- Edit and submit the template message below.
Dear Representatives _______,
I [work for/serve on the board of/support] [nonprofit] and I am writing to encourage you to support HB 1808, Making the nonprofit and library fundraising exemption permanent. Our organization depends on community fundraising and will be hurt if we return to taxing auction items and raffle prizes. HB 1808’s passage would demonstrate that our state is taking steps to support charitable giving at a time when the 2017 federal tax reform is expected to negatively impact nonprofits and donors alike.The bill cleared the House Finance Committee with unanimous bipartisan support and is now sitting in the House Rules Committee. Therefore, I ask you to please support HB 1808 and encourage your colleagues on the House Rules Committee to put the bill to a full House vote.
Thank you for your consideration,
Thank you in advance for your participation in this action alert. If you have any questions about this issue, please feel free to contact us.