WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Chamber of Commerce today applauded the U.S. House of Representatives for passing HR 4462 – allowing U.S. taxpayers to claim on their 2009 income tax returns any charitable contributions to Haiti relief programs up until March 1, 2010 – and urged the Senate to quickly pass this important legislation.
“The Haitian disaster has captured the sympathies of the citizens and businesses throughout America,” said David Chavern, executive vice president and chief operating officer of the U.S. Chamber. “By making individual contributions tax deductible for 2009, Congress can provide all Americans with the ability to contribute to this worthy cause.”
The Chamber’s Business Civic Leadership Center (BCLC) reports that 203 companies have contributed more than $83 million as of 3 p.m. today, including cash and in-kind contributions, and 36 of these companies have donated $1 million or more. Already, 36 corporate donors have pledged $1 million or more in cash or a mix of cash and in-kind support, including:
Abbott ($2.5 million)
Bank of America ($1 million)
Baxter International Inc. ($1 million)
Citigroup, Inc. ($2 million)
Comcast Corporation ($1 million)
FedEx Corporation ($1 million)
GlaxoSmithKline ($1.8 million)
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. ($1 million)
Google Inc. ($1 million)
JPMorgan Chase & Co. ($1 million)
UPS ($1 million)
Microsoft Corporation ($1.25 million)
