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"Chickadee Check-Off" Got a Boost in the 2010 Tax Season
Posted 26 January, 2012
Wildlife
conservation got a boost during the 2010 tax year from donations to the
Fish and Wildlife Fund, increasing for the first time since 2007.
The number of people donating also increased, but remains fewer than
8,000.
The Fish and Wildlife Fund,
unofficially called the Chickadee Check-off, is a way for taxpayers to
donate money to wildlife conservation in Iowa on the state tax form.
“Donations
to this fund have been trending downward over the last 10 years so any
increase is a real boon,” said Stephanie Shepherd, wildlife biologist
with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Diversity
Program.
The check-off appears on line 58 of electronic and
paper versions of Iowa’s 1040 tax forms. All proceeds from the
check-off support the Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife
Diversity Program, which works to protect more than 1,000 fish and
wildlife species in the state of Iowa.
“Without the tax
check-off, species such as the peregrine falcon, trumpeter swan and
osprey would not have had such successful comebacks in Iowa,” said
Shepherd.
Even with the increase, donations are still much lower than in the past.
“Fewer
than 8,000 people donate to the fish and wildlife check-off which
represents only about 0.5 percent of total taxpayers and equals about
$127,000 in contributions,” said Shepherd. “This is disappointing
because if every taxpayer gave just $1 it would mean almost $1.5
million for wildlife conservation in the state.”
Reasons for the
low level of giving may vary, but the top reason may be that more
Iowans are relying on tax preparers and electronic programs to do their
taxes.
“It is easy to pass over or forget, and many tax
preparers may not remember to ask whether a client wants to donate,”
said Shepherd. “It may be up to the taxpayer to remind their preparer
or check out the completeness of the electronic program they are
using.”
Money from the check-off helps improve wildlife habit,
fund research studies, support the reintroduction of threatened or
endangered species, and much more.
Donating on the tax form is
extremely easy: simply write the amount to donate next to the Fish and
Wildlife Check-Off and the sum is either automatically deducted from
the refund or added to the amount owed. In addition, there are no
administrative costs so every penny goes to wildlife conservation in
Iowa. As with all charitable contributions, the amount is deductible
from next year’s taxes.
The Iowa legislature added the
Chickadee Check-off, now called the Fish and Wildlife Fund, to the
state tax form in the early 1980s.
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