A proposal moving forward in the Iowa legislature would retain the four charity options Iowans see on their state tax forms. Jim McNulty, with the Iowa Department of Revenue, says nature preservation receives the most money – usually around $150,000 a year.
“It’s the Fish and Wildlife Fund, or the ‘Chickadee Checkoff.’ That goes to the D.N.R. for conservation and that’s always the number one checkoff,” McNulty said. “The State Fair Foundation, or Corn Dog Checkoff, is number two.”
The two least popular picks are usually removed from the form every two years. Right now, those are funds to help veterans and firefighters and a program to prevent child abuse. McNulty said those two checkoffs could remain on the Iowa tax form.
“We still have a couple hundred thousand Iowans that file a paper tax return and the form is already crowded, so we just have room for four checkoffs on the return. With this bill, we’d retain those checkoffs,” McNulty said.
Overall, Iowans give a yearly total of $350,000 to the four charity funds. House and Senate committees have passed similar bills to keep the four checkoffs in place on next year’s Iowa tax form.