City income tax staff want to remind neighbors that the local income tax form gives the option to donate your refund to a charity, or city project.
The City Commission approved adding the donation option to the local tax form in 2015. Donation of income tax refunds is an option in 12 of the 23 Michigan cities with income taxes.
The local form, BC-1040, allows taxpayers to donate some, or all, of their tax overpayment/refund to one of the following:
- United Way of the Battle Creek and Kalamazoo Region
- City of Battle Creek, limited to:
- Helping purchase flags for the graves of veterans at cemeteries in the city limits
- City of Battle Creek Recreation Department
- Annual City of Battle Creek employee appreciation picnic
- Other – taxpayers can write in a selection of their choice, as long as it is a local 501(c)(3) organization
The Income Tax Division is required to issue a federal Form 1099G to an individual taxpayer, when the donated overpayment/refund, combined with other refunds, credits, and/or offsets totals more than $10. The city also has a receipt policy, in which the city will issue a receipt for donations of $10 or more, so that a donor has documentation to support an itemized deduction claimed on the donor’s federal tax return.
In 2017, a total of $1,395 was donated by City of Battle Creek taxpayers through 2016 local tax return refunds.