WASHINGTON, D.C., January 6, 2004: American taxpayers making donations this month to aid the victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami will be able to claim deductions on their 2004 tax returns under legislation passed by Congress Thursday. The bill sent to President Bush was aimed at encouraging private donations to the tsunami relief effort. Under current law, taxpayers would have had to wait until next year to claim a tax deduction for contributions made in January this year. It passed both the House and Senate by voice vote. “The American people are some of the most generous in the world, and this proposal will give them an extra incentive to support this great cause,” said Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., who sponsored the measure with Finance Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, R-Iowa.
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