Please read the following (though I know it is a little lengthy) and consider sending at least an email to your representative and senators. I've even included a sample letter that you can basically copy and edit to suit your needs.Members of Congress are back in their home districts until Congress resumes next Tuesday. We encourage you to use this opportunity to reach out to your U.S. Senators and Representative about the Adoption Tax Credit.
PETITION TO SAVE THE ADOPTION
TAX CREDIT!
What is the adoption tax credit?
The adoption tax credit, which can be claimed for eligible adoption-related expenses, has helped thousands of American families offset the high cost of adoption since the credit was established in 1997. Since 2003, families that adopted children with special needs could claim the full credit regardless of their qualified adoption expenses. The credit has made adoption a more viable option for many parents who might not otherwise have been able to afford adoption, allowing them to provide children with loving, permanent families. With more than 100,000 children in U.S. foster care available for adoption, and countless millions of orphaned and abandoned children around the world, the continuation of the adoption tax credit is vital to providing love, safety, and permanency to as many children as possible.
In 2012, the credit amount decreased to $12,650. It is no longer refundable, eliminating the availability of the credit to some lower- or moderate-income families without tax liability. The 2012 credit may be carried forward for five additional years, applying to each year’s liability until the full credit amount is used or time expires.
Why do we feel like it needs to be continued?
The current adoption tax credit is set to expire on December 31, 2012. If that happens, many American families may not be able to afford the cost to adopt. Consequently, fewer children will find the loving, permanent families they deserve. Although the credit remains through 2012, many families will not benefit because it is not refundable. In 2013, the credit will decrease to only $6,000. What’s more, it will only be available to very few adoptive families.
Although many bills have been introduced to make the adoption tax credit permanent, they have never passed. Instead, it has always been extended or amended as a part of other pieces of legislation, including the Small Business Job Protection Act of 1996, the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act in 2001, the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act in 2010, and the Tax Relief Act at the end of 2010.
For more information, visit: http://adoptiontaxcredit.org/
How do I contact my representative?
On April 17, Representative Bruce Braley introduced the Making Adoption Affordable Act (HR 4373). If you are contacting your representative’s office, ask your representative to become a co-sponsor of HR 4373. There is no companion legislation in the Senate yet, so you can simply ask your senators to support an adoption tax credit that is inclusive, refundable, flat for special needs adoptions, and permanent.
Search for their contact information at:
It may be helpful to call the office and ask for the name and email or postal address of the staff member who handles adoption issues to be sure your message finds its way to the best person.
SAMPLE LETTER OR EMAIL
Dear Senator/Representative NAME:
I am a constituent in your district and I am writing to ask you to support the adoption tax credit, which is set to expire on December 31, 2012. Since 1997, the adoption tax credit has helped tens of thousands of parents offset the high cost of adoption, making it possible for them to provide children with loving, permanent families.
The adoption tax credit is especially important to me and my family because… (Tell Congress why you care. Your Members of Congress value your voice!)
If Congress does not take action, the current adoption tax credit will expire at the end of 2012. The credit will be reduced to $6,000, and will only benefit the few families that adopt children with special needs and have qualified adoption expenses. Most families adopting children from foster care, intercountry adoption, and domestic infant adoption will not receive any benefit. Without the adoption tax credit, many parents hoping to adopt will be unable to do so, and others will face great financial hardship. The adoption tax credit is essential to ensuring that as many children as possible find the forever families they deserve and ensuring that those families are in a more stable financial position to provide an environment where children can thrive. (In letters for your representative… Please become a co-sponsor of the Making Adoption Affordable Act (HR 4373) introduced by Representative Bruce Braley on April 17, 2012.)
The adoption tax credit must be extended to help as many children as possible find the permanent, loving family they need and deserve. And for 2012 it should be made refundable again so that most adoptive families will benefit from it. The best adoption tax credit would be permanent, refundable, inclusive of all types of adoption, and remain a “flat” tax for children with special needs.
On behalf of the countless children waiting to be adopted, and the many thousands of families that stand to benefit from the adoption tax credit, thank you for your attention to this important issue.
Sincerely,
NAME
CITY, STATE EMAIL ADDRESS / PHONE NUMBER
