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Car donation

Car donation is the practice of giving away no-longer-wanted automobiles or other vehicles to charitable organizations. In the United States, these donations can provide a tax benefit and have become very popular.
Some critics have claimed that car donations are essentially a tax shelter. However, non-profit organizations in the US have come to rely increasingly upon the revenue from car donations. This type of donation has become increasingly widespread; in 2000, 733,000 U.S. taxpayers reduced their taxes by $654 million.For vehicles valued at less than $500, the deduction amount comes from the donor's own estimate of the car's value, even if the charity receives less money from its sale. Deductions greater than $500 are limited to the proceeds of selling the vehicle, usually at auction.
The U.S Internal Revenue Service advises that starting in 2005:
The rules for determining the amount that a donor may deduct for a charitable contribution of a qualified vehicle, including an automobile, with a claimed value of more than $500 changed at the beginning of 2005 as a result of the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004. In general, that Act limits a donor¡¯s deduction to the amount of the gross proceeds from the charity¡¯s sale of the vehicle.
For vehicles valued at over $500, taxpayers are required to attach the charity's written acknowledgment to their tax return.
Car donation schemes in the UK are slightly different to those operating in the United States and only established themselves as a valued source of income for UK charities in January 2010, led by Giveacar ¨C a non-profit organisation. Operating as a non-profit organisation allows charities to avoid the large overheads created by profit-making car donation companies. In addition, whereas car donation in the US has been incentivised through tax breaks, in the UK there are no such tax benefits to donating your car.
Many charities run donation programs. All of them accept car donations, such as Goodwill, Salvation Army and even the American Cancer Society. Many charities will use your car donation directly to transport volunteers and supplies to areas that need help. Some even have their own car lots which sell the donated cars but many have their donations processed through auto auction companies. Many processing companies also collect and sell donated cars and distribute the money to a charity the donor indicates. The processing company typically takes a percentage of the sale value of the car, but these programs allow charities without their own facilities or staff dedicated to fund raising to benefit from vehicle donation programs.
Ideally, donors should also investigate how much money from the sale of the car goes to the auction processor and how much actually benefits the charity's programs, as opposed to its administrative overhead.
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