Direct How your Arizona Tax Dollars are Spent    Do you pay even $1 of tax to the State of Arizona? If the answer is yes, then you can choose to pledge those dollars directly to education or to charitable organizations that assist the working poor. There are 2 types of Arizona Tax Credits that support the funding of education in Arizona. There is the private school tuition credit and the public school fee credit. The Arizona Dept of Revenue has recently updated their website, and if you click on the link below, you will find the details you need to take advantage of these 2009 tax credits before December 31st. Arizona School Tax Credits Furthermore, there are a number of charities that depend on donations and provide programs throughout our community. Many of these organizations are really struggling right now, and you can help them by taking advantage of the Charitable Tax Credit and saving on your 2009 taxes. (Warning - Please note that this credit is only available to individual taxpayers that itemize their deductions. If you take the standard deduction, then you may not claim the credit!) Arizona Charitable Tax Credit In sum, every Arizona Resident is eligible to take the following maximum annual charitable/education credits:   Type of Credit Filing Status Single/Head of Household Married Filing Joint Private School 500 1,000 Public School 200 400 Charitable Organization 200 400 Total Available 900 1,800 Oftentimes, if you have children in public school, you will be paying fees for extracurricular activities or special programs. Keep track of those fees, since they will most likely qualify for the credit and reduce your tax bill. If someone close to you is attending a private school (other than your child), you can make a specific tax credit donation to the private school that will benefit that person specifically, if they qualify to receive a scholarship. You would need to contact the school directly to make arrangements for this type of donation. Please note that when preparing your tax returns, we will need the following information about your tax credit donation: Payee, date donation made, amount of donation. Unlike other charitable donations which merely provide deductions that can save you up to 5.4% on your tax bill, a tax credit saves you 100% of the tax. That is for every $1 you spend on a tax credit donation, you may subtract $1 from your Arizona Tax Bill. Nationally, Arizona ranks 49 out of 50 states for spending per pupil. You can help improve our stats by making a tax credit donation and saving on your Arizona tax bill. Get tax information you can use! Tax News Elizabeth Hale, CPA 20 years of experience eeCPA Site Map eeCPA PLC 4612 E Robert E Lee St. Phoenix, AZ 85032  We’re at Tatum and Bell Tel. 602.923.2111 | Fax 480.323.2644 | Email: elizabeth@eecpa.com | Web: www.eecpa.com Copyright © 2010 eeCPA PLC. All rights reserved.