Checkoff boxes on tax forms don’t yield large contributions

Question: When I was doing my taxes, I noticed that line 43 of the state tax form allows you to make a contribution from any tax refund for the school repair fund, public libraries fund and domestic violence and child abuse fund. Since I retired, I have been contributing to these funds and was wondering, how much has been contributed? Is it a little or is it substantial?

Answer: The contributions are "not very large," so much so that the state Department of Taxation argued against proposals to add other funds to the contribution checklist.

We asked the department how much has been collected and were given a copy of a letter sent Feb. 28 by Tax Director Frederick Pablo to state Sen. David Ige, chairman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, regarding the income tax checkoff boxes.

The letter showed figures for the fiscal years 2011 and 2010, with decreases in each category, for the School Minor Repairs & Maintenance Fund, $66,406 in 2011 and $72,200 in 2010 (decrease of $5,794); Public Libraries Fund, $62,438 in 2011 and $67,674 in 2010 (decrease of $5,236); and Domestic Violence/Child Abuse and Neglect Funds, $129,045 in 2011 and $134,445 in 2010 (decrease of $5,400).

The checkoff boxes for the first two funds ask whether the taxpayer and taxpayer’s spouse want to each contribute $2 from their tax refunds, while the third fund asks whether they want to contribute $5 each.

In the letter, Pablo notes that a number of proposals were made during the 2012 legislative session requesting checkoff boxes for "various worthy organizations and policies."

He said that while asking taxpayers to dedicate a portion of their refunds may seem like a simple task, it actually "imposes significant resource costs to the department."

"Furthermore, none of the measures appropriate sufficient resources to the department to accomplish these enhancements."

The department’s "computer system presents substantial challenges when modifications and adjustments must be made," Pablo said. "The insufficient staffing levels also add to the complexity of the problem."

New Book covers Beach Accesses

The city is working on posting information on all its beach rights of way on Oahu, as we explained in our June 29 column (is.gd/zqRTD8).

In the meantime, two Oahu residents — with "forty-six years of combined experience enjoying Oahu’s shores" — have come out with their own guide to 89 public beach rights of way.

Katherine Garner says she and Carol Kettner were biking through Kahala one day a few years ago when they saw a bright blue beach access sign.

They found themselves on the outskirts of Shangri La, the estate of the late tobacco heiress Doris Duke.

"A light bulb went on," Garner said. "Carol loved the idea of exploring all of Oahu’s public beach accesses and was able to get a list of them from the city and county (of Honolulu), which she then transferred to tax maps. We visited them all, took photos and wrote descriptions of all we saw. Four years later and our baby is born."

"O’ahu Beach Access — A Guide to O’ahu’s Beaches through the Public Rights of Way," published by Mutual Publishing, is a user-friendly guide, with maps, photos, addresses and information on parking, marine life and restroom availability.

It is available "where books are sold."

Mahalo

To all the firefighters and police who worked on the brush fire along Haleahi Road from Monday, June 4, until Saturday, June 9. (About 1,000 acres in Waianae and Lualualei valleys were burned in the fire.) They worked through the danger and extreme heat to save homes. If it wasn’t for a fireman who grabbed the hose by the washer sink, the fire would have burned down two four-bedroom homes. God bless them all, true heroes. Words cannot express our gratitude. — Gwendolyn Gouveia, Waianae

Write to "Kokua Line" at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.