Did Daschle Fail to Secure Proper Gift Acknowledgment for Charitable Deduction Purposes?

According to his January 30, 2009, Senate Finance Committee statement available on the Wall Street Journal website, it appears that among the “outstanding” tax issues for Senator Daschle is Daschle’s apparent failure to obtain written acknowledgments for charitable contributions in excess of $250.  Here is an excerpt from the report:

In response to Committee staff inquiries, the senator provided additional documentation for the Daschles’ charitable contributions for 2005, 2006, 2007. Staff notes that while copies of checks were provided, the proper donee acknowledgement for contributions over $250 was not provided for many of the charitable contributions as required for deductibility. The returns were not amended for these amounts.

For the entire Senate Finance Committee statement, see “Senate Finance Committee Statement Concerning the Nomination of Thomas A. Daschle“ available on the Wall Street Journal website.

DAB