Congressman Denny Rehberg

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, is an original co-sponsor of legislation that will be introduced when the House of Representatives reconvenes to accelerate the tax benefit for charitable cash contributions made for the benefit of the victims of the earthquake in Haiti.

“When we see people in need, Montanans have always been among the most generous in the world,” said Rehberg, a member of the House Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee. “It’s my job to make that generosity a little easier during hard economic times. We can do that by letting people claim a tax deduction for charitable giving immediately instead of waiting a year.”

It permits taxpayers to treat charitable contributions of cash made between January 11 and March 1, 2010 to be counted as if they were made in 2009. This gives taxpayers the opportunity to accelerate the tax benefit by claiming the charitable deduction on their 2009 returns. The bill is similar to a provision enacted in the aftermath of the 2005 Indian Ocean tsunami.

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the people of Haiti,” said Rehberg. “Like so many Montanans, I’m ready to help in any way that I can.”