Don't let new tax form avert charity check-off

The state's leading advocate for the homeless worries that a change in the Utah state income tax form could reduce contributions to charitable recipients by as much as half.

Representatives from the other seven listed charities echo that concern, fearing taxpayers won't take the time to flip to page 13 to get necessary information for the checkoff.

"Line 23A is so important, but we are expecting a decrease in what people donate because of the change in the form," said Pamela Atkinson.

Atkinson met Tuesday with members of the Deseret Morning News editorial board to spread the word that it's critical taxpayers take the time to fill out the checkoffs.

Last year, the Pamela Atkinson Homeless Trust fund took in $136,000 due to Utahns' willingness to designate money on the income tax checkoff.

Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. is helping Atkinson in the effort, staging two separate press conferences calling for heightened awareness of the need to contribute.

The fund supports emergency shelters, a number of services such as domestic violence prevention, mental health counseling and edu- cational training. Additionally, it attempts to reduce homelessness by helping with transitional housing and mortgage foreclosure prevention.

Utah's homeless population is estimated at 4,334, not including residents staying in hotels or doubling up with other families. For the 2001-02 school year, the Utah State Office of Education said 8,524 children in Utah experienced homelessness.

Atkinson said 90 percent of homelessness is episodic — while only 10 percent is "chronically" homeless. The fastest growing segments of the homeless population are families who have been evicted due to a "life event" such as medical bills or the unexpected loss of a job, she added.

Overall, 26,721 Utahns donated a total of $330,080 last year to four charities: the nongame wildlife fund, the homeless trust fund, the statewide school district fund and the Kurt Oscarson Children's Organ Transplant Fund.

Although in past years the tax forms listed the name of the charities, the addition of three new funds to the list meant too little space, so all the names were dropped off the form. Instead, taxpayers are referred to codes listed in the accompanying tax preparation booklet.

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E-mail: amyjoi@desnews.com