Purchases of scrip cannot be claimed as tax deduction

Question: I bought $60 worth of scrip for the HUOA Okinawan Festival Sept. 5-6, but due to an unforeseen event, we were unable to attend the festival and were unable to give it away to someone else to use. I still have all of the unused scrip. I wrote a check for $50 worth, and the other $10 was purchased with cash. Can I claim the entire amount as a charitable donation?

Answer: No. In fact, you can’t claim any of the amount as a charitable deduction, according to the state Department of Taxation.

The Hawaii United Okinawa Association is recognized as a Section 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, which means that charitable gifts to the organization may be claimed as income tax deductions. The problem is that your purchase of scrip does not qualify as a charitable gift, said Mallory C. Fujitani, spokeswoman for the state Tax Department.

“To qualify for the charitable contribution deduction, the contribution must be made with a charitable intent. The $60 paid for the scrip was not paid with a charitable intent, but rather with the intent to receive something in return ($60 worth of goods and services at the festival). Not being able to trade in the scrip does not change the intent” of the purchase, she said.

While receipts and documentation are important in validating tax deductions, the check and unused scrip won’t help you in this case because the key factor here is that you purchased the scrip intending to use it at the festival.

Q: Does the Hawaii Foodbank take pet food?

A: Yes. On Oahu you can bring your donations of unopened, unexpired cans or bags of pet food directly to the food bank’s warehouse in Mapunapuna, off Nimitz Highway. The exact address, in case you want to map the location online, is 2611 Kilihau St., Honolulu 96819.

Drop-offs are accepted Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., according to the food bank’s website. The organization accepts food and monetary donations at this site, its headquarters on Oahu.

There also are several business that serve as year-round canned food drop-off sites for the food bank on Oahu, including Ruby Tuesday restaurants, Napa Auto Parts stores and the Hard Rock Cafe. Or there may be a community food drive in your neighborhood; you can check at hawaiifoodbank.org.

Use the method that is most convenient for you.

Just as it is expensive to keep a family well nourished in Hawaii, it can be tough for low-income families to keep their beloved dogs, cats and other pets well fed. The Hawaii Foodbank’s statewide network exists to ensure that nobody in our island community goes hungry, and it strives to extend similar assistance to pets in those needy households, thanks to donors like you.

Auwe

While grocery shopping one Saturday morning, we observed a family with five children ranging in ages from about 10 to 16. There were two boys and three girls. The mother was busy looking for items in the grocery department while the father was pushing the cart around, stopping here and there. The two boys were horsing around, playing toss and catch with apples in the produce section. They dropped the apples every now and then and put them back in the bin. The father did absolutely nothing to stop them from doing this. How awful to have someone buy these apples, bruised and probably unfit to eat.

Mahalo

Mahalo to Sean of campus security at Kapiolani Community College. I was late for my passport appointment, and luckily Sean happened to drive by, so I waved him down and asked for directions. Instead of giving me directions, he drove me to the building and told me how to get to the office. Thank goodness for his kindness. Because of him, I was able to get to my appointment on time. — Grateful senior

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