Chestnut: Lower your personal taxes, help your community’s schools

Did you know that there’s an easy way to help Maricopa Unified School District students that won’t cost you anything? Arizona tax law allows taxpayers to receive a tax credit of up to $400 for donating to certain public school programs. The Arizona State Legislature approved this law in 1997.

This law allows you to donate to the program of your choice and then receive a dollar-for-dollar tax credit. This is a tax credit and is not a deduction from income. The tax credit is a transfer of funds from the Arizona Department of Revenue to local schools. This contribution will reduce the amount of money you owe for state income tax or increase your refund. This deduction is a “win-win” situation for taxpayers, and I encourage each community member to consider helping our students in this way.

All Arizona individual taxpayers are eligible to participate regardless of whether they have children in school or not. An individual can contribute any amount up to $200, and a couple filing jointly may contribute up to $400.

You can choose which MUSD school to donate to and which activities you would like to support. Contributions are donated directly to schools, not to the state or the school district. Your donation must go toward an extracurricular activity at a school, which includes any school-sponsored activity that requires enrolled students to pay fees to participate.

Extracurricular activities that can be funded include:
• Academic field trips
• Arts (band, drama, choir, visual arts, school plays)
• Athletic general support
• Athletic “Pay to Play” fee (you can designate a specific student or team)
• A specific extracurricular sport

All nine MUSD schools qualify: Butterfield Elementary School, Maricopa Elementary School, Pima Butte Elementary School, Saddleback Elementary School, Santa Cruz Elementary School, Santa Rosa Elementary School, Desert Wind Middle School, Maricopa Wells Middle School and Maricopa High School.

Please make checks payable to any of our schools mail to: Maricopa Unified School District, 44150 W. Maricopa-Casa Grande Highway, Maricopa, AZ 85138. You can also pay online at MaricopaUSD.org.

***ADVERTISEMENT***Donations must be received or postmarked by Dec. 31 for the tax credit to apply to the 2014 tax year.

For more information, please contact Lisa Baker at 520-568-5100 ext. 1027 or [email protected].