SageTree

Hey YaHookans,

Today while I was in the garden I had an thought and an idea.

It's well know about tax deductible charitable donations, and to my knowledge generally if not in all cases applies to money. You give your car, you get the assessed value, and this may also exist with other items donated for charity.

My idea and perhaps better stated question is,

Why can't there be or is there something in place, a way for people's time to assessed for worth as well. If there was/is a way for someone to be reviewed and held accountable for what their hourly/salaried wage is and then the place where people volunteer could log this properly as well, so a proper credit could be given.

There are things to be worked out, like receiving 'partial wage' and also a safe and non-abused system for logging in hours. The later being the biggest abuse I can fathom in this system.

It's fairly well known that I take off a scheduled day on Wednesdays to go volunteer in my down town with people on the streets. I don't do it for the money, HOWEVER, the position I fill is from 10-2 and is a pretty funk hour to find people to fill the slots.

SO if a person could safety take off work on a week day their would be some mild incentive.

Thought: Maybe during the week would be a full wage/hour volunteered and weekend would be a partial credit, which would also effect the number of people going out to help their communities on the weekends w/ family and maybe planting further seeds.

Like I said, it's not all about the money, but for some people I think it would be a draw. People who don't want to or can't handle the service will not do it or move on to a new place, but for those who would enjoy serving more I think this would be a really cool idea.


So I'm asking for 'loop holes' or troubles in the system you foresee.

And also....

Is there already anything like this?

Coulda checked google before I ratted this off I suppose

In kind
SageTree

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Captain Cannabis

that sounds more like a job than anything. if i am volunteering i am working strictly without monetary incentives. that is not to say i would or have ever worked for free, but i definitely do a lot of volunteering

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fuck the monkeys

John F. Kerry

not only is this a great idea but im pretty sure either bush or mccain or some other republican proposed this during one of the recent campaigns...or someone did i cant remember who and couldnt seem to find it on google either,


but someone suggested that if you had demonstrated financial need (which if u do u can get lots of discounts already) that you should be able to voulenteer for a year with the military the national guard or a civilian group and after 1 year get free government paid for tuition for an in state state school for up to 4 years of college.

this would be a freaking awesome idea because it would allow for the benefits to poor and less fortunate that many liberals want but also because it wouldnt be a free handout which would discourage abuse... anybody who needs it can voulenteer for a year, work for america, and then we'll pay for your college.

now to be realistic, the military already does this but you have to vounlenteer for much longer than 1 year... so it might not make sense economically.


but i agree that this is a good idea.

carl paladinos idea to send wellfare recipients to schools like trade type schools and make their wellfare payments dependant on (if they are working age and healthy) going to these types of job reeducation things sounds like a good idea to me as well.

teach people to fish. dont just keep handing out fishsticks .

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Nasa under Obama

John F. Kerry

btw would it surprise you hookans to know that i do a lot of volunteering myself ? think what u might about me i actually get a lot of satisfaction helping less fortunate people work out their problems.

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Nasa under Obama

Captain Cannabis

i dont know how you can turn a simple idea like tax breaks for volunteer work and turn it into a partisan argument. i can only assume sage wasn't even talking about the united states of america as he doesn't even live there.

you amaze me j

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fuck the monkeys

Captain Cannabis

volunteering does kick ass though. i mostly use my volunteerism to get free tickets to festivals

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fuck the monkeys

SageTree

What/Where? That is good to hear. I'm worried too many people have opinions and don't do squat about them

Well.... it's not totally off the mark he, did steer it in a different direction and not quite what I had imagined , but never the less.... I'm impressed and happy JFK saw something in the post he liked.

Thanks John

I agree with your earlier statement about 'not doing it for the money'. It would be let getting non-paid for volunteer work and can see what you are getting at.

The thought crossed my mind more in the regard to volunteer orgs. always say 'time and talents' but somehow doing it for free isn't worth money, so to speak, although I can see it in the light of giving your hourly wage to the place to volunteer, so to speak.

I remember when we first moved to Vancouver and didn't have access to our funds now did we have a lot of cash. The 'World Urban' Festival was in town and I signed up because it said 'meals/shift' so I traded out my pop for a salad or some sort and my Wife, then we'd split the meal up.

We were very poor that summer and that is a super fond memory of trading my unpermitted ass for food

In Sept we got the money of course and the permits, but we figured other than rent we lived on next to nothing for 2 months.

A real eye opener on what hungry meant.... but now I digress.


Cheers Boiz!
SageTree

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SageTree

I volunteer at a Christian drop in centre as a spiritual counselor, run by the Roman Catholic Diocese.

Try to piece all those pieces together

It's a good fit though and I'm hoping to find something similar in Toronto where ever or who ever the spiritual practice is. I feel this is a venue in which I might be able to get some cert. in and incorporate into my working life. A job of service and finding that balance between work and volunteer tax credit


I'm proud of you all and anyone who takes time to make their world a better place. THANKS BE TO YOU!!!!

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Captain Cannabis

you should check out food not bombs in t.o.

got a couple friends doing that

THE FOOD NOT BOMBS MOVEMENT

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fuck the monkeys

mothernature

I know you're in Canada, but I found this at the US Treasury website:

"Under current law, volunteers are prohibited from taking a charitable contribution deduction for the value of the services they provided to charities. However, the tax code does support volunteer work for charitable organizations by allowing volunteers to take a charitable contribution deduction for expenses they incur in connection with their volunteer services, but the expenses must be ones the charity would otherwise have to incur, not personal expenses of the volunteer. For example, volunteers may deduct the cost of materials they donate for use in repairs to a church, supplies they use in leading activities at a day care center, or uniforms they wear when serving as nurses' aides. However, volunteers may not deduct personal expenses such as meals eaten during a break in a local service project, transportation to and from a school where they donate their time, or child care expenses."

John F. Kerry

with my own situation its weird because u go to voulenteer but the parking downtown costs at least 6 or 7 bucks and you apparently cant get a waiver or ticket for free parking. so with parking and lunch its actually fucking expensive to work for free...

seriously if they wanted to encourage it they could at least make it so it didnt cost you money to do it, and possibly give u some kind of stipend below a normal wage just to encourage voulenteers.

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Nasa under Obama

my_scatterheart

take the bus.

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Be mindful even if your mind is full. -J. De La Vega

wellfleation

There already is for those unionized State Workers in Mass,. the recently branded the "ultra"liberal", of course, believing in fair wages and benefits and basic middle class stuff.

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FIGHTPOWER

wellfleation

To elaborate, you can volunteer up to 5 regular work days to another fully volunteer sector, like the food pantry, and do the basics (not much). Just like we also get 5 hours of time every three months to give blood, which I take advantage of (good give and take ratio)

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FIGHTPOWER

farmergiles

Ingrates don't want my blood.

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Cultivate a stoic calmness

stoneric

^Too green?

farmergiles

The only thing I hadn't done was fucked men and African prostitutes.

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Cultivate a stoic calmness

SageTree

^just tell em what they wanna here

I did cocaine off a homosexual African before 1977, while getting a tattoo and a flu vaccine

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zerodown

I am taking a federal taxation class, as I understand it, you can deduct a car that you give to a charity because it was an act in good faith and you can deduct the car, but when you VOLUNTEER in exchange of something in return, a discount in this example, it is compensation, and compensation is taxable.

volunteering is the opposite of work which is what you do to receive payment/discount/property/etc...

If you volunteer and then received something in return, you worked, you didn't volunteer.

If your proposed tax were to be implemented, who wouldn't "volunteer"? Hell, why work when you can volunteer and get a check(in theory since you can recieve discounts greater than whatever you earned even if its 0)

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"I've seen people so poor all they got is money."

We have to learn to unlearn
Its not contradiction, its amendment
Not everything we see is reality
Not everything we hear is the truth
Not everything we're taught helps us grow
~Cultura Profetica

"La locura se lleva en la cabeza y las drogas en los bolsillos"
~Roberto Iniesta

SageTree

Yea, I see the catch you are talking about there.

Perhaps it could be a number of hours per year in credits but mostly sustained in just charitable donation?

This wasn't a set in stone idea, and that is exactly the sort of answer I was hoping for. I am not technically minded in the legalisticese. So thanks.

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