So, who’s guilty of breaking law?

In a recent announcement, the state expropriated money supposedly donated to charities via Illinois tax returns for operational costs. And that raises an interesting question. Can or should the state be prosecuted by the feds for this action?

Presumably, the intended charitable donations were written off on an individual’s federal tax return, thus reducing the individual’s federal tax payable. But if the state used the donations to pay operational costs, does that make the donations taxable income for federal purposes to the individual? And if that’s the case, does that make the state or the individual guilty of breaking federal tax law?

Sure seems like somebody is guilty of something — likely the state of Illinois as usual.

Sure hope it isn’t the poor sap who made a charitable contribution and claimed it as a write-off when it ultimately went to fix a pothole or something.

Stephen Gohmann

Huntley