With the pass of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), a new limit has been placed on the deduction for SALT, State And Local Taxes. These limits severely impact residents of states that derive the majority of their revenue through state income taxes and high property taxes.
Several states have or are in the process of implementing workarounds to the deduction limits. For example, New York established new “charitable gifts trust funds” to which taxpayers can make deductible contributions and claim a tax credit equal to 85% of the donation. Similarly, New Jersey enacted legislation that permits localities to establish charitable funds to which taxpayers can contribute and receive a 90% New Jersey property tax credit. California and Connecticut are among the other states that have been weighing similar options.
It’s important to note that when applying the substance over form doctrine, many of these transactions would not qualify for the charitable deduction the states are hoping. Remember, charitable contributions are only deductible to the extent that no goods or services (benefit) is received in exchange. Transactions that are “quid pro quo” would reduce your charitable deduction, dollar for dollar by the fair market value of any benefit received.
The IRS is planning to issue regulations to address these transactions in the coming months. We advise our clients to wait for these proposed regulations, as our professional opinion is the IRS will not recognize a charitable contribution deduction that is a disguised SALT deduction.