An Idea: Donating Blood == Tax Deduction

Gil Hamilton · Post by **Gil Hamilton** » 2004-02-28 01:18pm

I had a thought while I was giving blood today, one that I've had before and decided to bat it around and run it by you guys.

Right now, in Pittsburgh at least, the Blood Bank is constantly running on empty. It gets just enough business that people have really started dying due to it, but it really needs to build up a larger blood supply for emergencies or disasters.

So I had an idea to get more people in to get poked. Make giving blood something that can get a local or state tax deduction. This wouldn't be a huge tax deduction, not big at all. But it would be something that you could put on your taxes. I don't know about all of you, but I know some people who'd give a pint of blood if it meant getting even a slim tax break. I think it's just because they like saying they get tax deductions for stuff.

The only thing is that I think that in order to get it you'd have to fill out the long form when you do your taxes, and people don't like to do that. Plus, I think that would make it federal level.

So, what do you people who know tax law better than me think?

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2004-02-28 01:24pm

It sounds interesting and the tax reduction could be a good incentive. Maybe it could also apply to organ donors too to help those that are apprehensive about those procedures come forward. The problem with the large genetic diversity of the human species is finding a matching antigen carrier. No match and the organ is destroyed in an immune response.

This idea could help people turn to donor card carriers and have them test themselves to see if they could give a non-vital organ when alive or other organs when deceased.

Dahak · Post by **Dahak** » 2004-02-28 01:25pm

Nice idea, but it would automatically discriminate against people who can't or are not allowed to donate...

Gil Hamilton · Post by **Gil Hamilton** » 2004-02-28 01:37pm

Dahak wrote:Nice idea, but it would automatically discriminate against people who can't or are not allowed to donate...

Is that a problem? The idea is refill the blood bank, and it's not like you can let people who have clotting factor concentrates or are at high risk of a fluid transferable disease donate just to be inclusive.

Post by **Ghost Rider** » 2004-02-28 03:45pm

Only if it would count as real deduction and not lodged into "Well if you break a certain percentage of your AGI"...then yes it would be a good idea for charitable purposes.

Andrew J. · Post by **Andrew J.** » 2004-02-28 03:49pm

Why not just cut out the middleman and exchange blood for cash right then and there?

General Zod · Post by **General Zod** » 2004-02-28 03:50pm

Andrew J. wrote:Why not just cut out the middleman and exchange blood for cash right then and there?

they already do this at many blood banks. though there's an assload of paperwork to go through.

Post by **Sea Skimmer** » 2004-02-28 03:50pm

Andrew J. wrote:Why not just cut out the middleman and exchange blood for cash right then and there?

They do that in many places.

Gil Hamilton · Post by **Gil Hamilton** » 2004-02-28 04:03pm

Andrew J. wrote:Why not just cut out the middleman and exchange blood for cash right then and there?

You can already and it's a pain in the ass. Besides, when you call it a tax incentive, peoples ears will automatically perk up.

beyond hope · Post by **beyond hope** » 2004-02-28 04:45pm

I like this idea and I'd support it. Low stocks of blood are everyones' problem.

...although I'm not eligible to donate since I spent 3 years in England since 1980. *grumble grumble*

General Zod · Post by **General Zod** » 2004-02-28 04:51pm

i'd be willing to donate blood for cash if all the paperwork wasn't such a hassle. *grumble*

Joe · Post by **Joe** » 2004-02-28 05:59pm

Ghost Rider wrote:Only if it would count as real deduction and not lodged into "Well if you break a certain percentage of your AGI"...then yes it would be a good idea for charitable purposes.

I wouldn't think it would be material enough to break the AGI threshold for charitable deductions. But anyway...

I would take this a step further, actually, and allow deductions for organ donation as well.

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2004-03-01 04:54am

What about both, or is that not legal?

Gil Hamilton · Post by **Gil Hamilton** » 2004-03-01 10:21am

Joe wrote:I would take this a step further, actually, and allow deductions for organ donation as well.

This is an idea too. At the very least, it will get people who are ambivilent to do it, just because they think "Ooh! Tax Break! Sign me up!" even if it's a dinky squat deduction.

Of course, there are the people who think that becoming an organ donner means that paramedics and doctors will, consciously or unconsciously, not work as hard to save them because they want their organs won't go for it... but they don't have to get the tax break, now do they?

Symmetry · Post by **Symmetry** » 2004-03-01 06:33pm

The people who you donate blood to already get money based on how much they get. If they need to, they'll start offering stuff to people to get them to come.

Post by **Sea Skimmer** » 2004-03-01 07:42pm

Spanky The Dolphin wrote:What about both, or is that not legal?

Selling organs is illegal in the US; selling tissue (which is what blood is considered to be) is not.