Future Campus Framework Discussion

[JSOrange97]

No one is forcing you to give up your money. Even in the current tax structure, no one is forced to donate anything. However, it's my opinion that having an incentive for charitable donations is beneficial to society (as there are thousand of non-profits beyond universities that have zero revenue sources beyond donations).

This x100... my wife and I are NJ leaders for a nonprofit that helps families who have experienced the unthinkable. We are 100% reliant on the generosity of others. If charitable deductions go away, so does the assistance.

 

[rrlbees]

Athletics wasn't the only reason I went to SU. What was it for you, if you actually went there.

Who said it was the only reason. Nobody forces you to watch and enjoy SU athletics. You’re just complaining for the sake of complaining. And you do know people donate to SU for academic reasons too.

 

[cuse10]

Who said it was the only reason. Nobody forces you to watch and enjoy SU athletics. You’re just complaining for the sake of complaining. And you do know people donate to SU for academic reasons too.

We are talking about athletics, not academics. Don't move the goalposts. You shouldn't get a tax write off for paying for perks such as VIP access, tickets and better seats. That is not a charitable donation.

 

[rrlbees]

We are talking about athletics, not academics. Don't move the goalposts. You shouldn't get a tax write off for paying for perks such as VIP access, tickets and better seats. That is not a charitable donation.

Um, you brought up “other reasons” as to why you went to SU. And it’s obvious you don’t know what donations are used for. Did you know you could donate and not use a single perk and still get the write off? You know donate just to be a good guy.

 

[shandeezy7]

I’m still confused on the principle of a forced donation. If you don’t donate you can’t have the seat. Why not just build the donation into the seat price and stop trying to make it something it’s not. Also people for the most part are good natured and don’t look at donations as a write off. They do donations cause it makes them feel good or cause they want to. That won’t change because you can’t deduct it on your taxes.

I suppose that we will find out soon enough what effect not having the charitable deduction option will have on giving. In the meantime, here is an interesting article from the WSJ in 2015, when the charitable deduction was previously in peril:

The Surprising Relationship Between Taxes and Charitable Giving

"But their answers changed when there was a real possibility of that tax deduction being reduced, indicating that people were happy to say that the tax deduction wasn’t all that important, until they came face to face with the likelihood that it might go away. In 2009, when the future of the charitable deduction was being debated, 67% of people said they would decrease charitable giving if the deduction were eliminated, up from 46.6% in 2005. In 2013, when the debate about capping the deduction had died down, the results returned more or less to the 2005 levels."

 

[Cusefan78]

I suppose that we will find out soon enough what effect not having the charitable deduction option will have on giving. In the meantime, here is an interesting article from the WSJ in 2015, when the charitable deduction was previously in peril:

The Surprising Relationship Between Taxes and Charitable Giving

"But their answers changed when there was a real possibility of that tax deduction being reduced, indicating that people were happy to say that the tax deduction wasn’t all that important, until they came face to face with the likelihood that it might go away. In 2009, when the future of the charitable deduction was being debated, 67% of people said they would decrease charitable giving if the deduction were eliminated, up from 46.6% in 2005. In 2013, when the debate about capping the deduction had died down, the results returned more or less to the 2005 levels."

lose me when you compare a donation to a cause like cancer, homeless, vets,... we are talking about athletic donations to a private school that forces people to donate in return for premium seats. Again this isn’t a donation it’s them forcing you to give. In the end they will just change the “donation” to a fee and they won’t lose a penny. I’m sorry that I won’t lose sleep over a university having to change their tactics and again we aren’t even positive this will even make a difference. I don’t see anyone here giving up a seat because they can’t right up the donation.

 

[shandeezy7]

lose me when you compare a donation to a cause like cancer, homeless, vets,... we are talking about athletic donations to a private school that forces people to donate in return for premium seats. Again this isn’t a donation it’s them forcing you to give. In the end they will just change the “donation” to a fee and they won’t lose a penny. I’m sorry that I won’t lose sleep over a university having to change their tactics and again we aren’t even positive this will even make a difference. I don’t see anyone here giving up a seat because they can’t right up the donation.

That's not what I was talking about. That was what you were talking about in a conversation with a different poster. I was referring to your comment about the charitable deduction having no effect on charitable giving.

 

[DoubleDee]

Too bad this will hinder the Dome renovation. Up to this point it really seemed to be moving along.

 

[Consigliere]

The ramifications of the proposed changes to the tax code are a serious concern, particularly at an institution like Syracuse where roughly 85% of the donations to the Athletic Department stem from Preferred Access Requirements rather than purely philanthropic motives. Gold standard is a 50-50 split. Think this is another reason why Wildhack is so insistent that Dome Renovation / Replacement will not impact our home schedules for football or basketball. We can't afford it!
I am pleased to see the protection for charitable contributions going forward. In fact I would prefer to see a system that awards giving as a tax credit, not a taxable income deduction. With the doubling of the standard deduction and elimination of other deductible expenditures like SALT, many taxpayers will not be itemizing in the future so the tax advantage to giving, even while still deductible will be removed. Compounding that by eliminating deductibility of the source of 85% of our donation base could well be catastrophic.

I get the rationale and philosophically question if PAR should truly be considered "giving" since a benefit is received for the "gift." In fact most corporations that offer matching gifts no longer do so for such donations. But considering the heavy reliance that so many institutions have on such giving there needs to be a better way to at the very least phase this in.

 

[orangecuse]

Too bad this will hinder the Dome renovation. Up to this point it really seemed to be moving along.

 

[reedny]

We are talking about athletics, not academics. Don't move the goalposts. You shouldn't get a tax write off for paying for perks such as VIP access, tickets and better seats. That is not a charitable donation.

Tickets aren't write-offs (deductible charitable donations). Write-offs come from financial contributions where the donor doesn't receive equivalent consideration. Usually, that means intangible (amorphous) benefits, such as "memberships", or accessories of minimal value, such as a school flag or a team calendar. Neither type of "benefit" is exclusive to educational institutions, and both are commonly used by charitable institutions to raise money. Raffles, parties, musical events, club memberships, accessories, etc. ... are also standard charitable fund-raising methods dating back to WWII. So it really doesn't matter if you 'get it' or not.

 

[Cusefan78]

Bottom line is if they are that worried about this then they aren’t even close on getting this done and the university has much bigger problems.

 

[FrancoPizza]

Bottom line is if they are that worried about this then they aren’t even close on getting this done and the university has much bigger problems.

The depressing truth. And now people are skeptical that Ben Walsh can secure state money to help out. Don't see any silver lining.

 

[tipphill]

Bottom line is if they are that worried about this then they aren’t even close on getting this done and the university has much bigger problems.

politics---would this discussion be happening if we were a state school???su needed to plan accordingly as a private organisation does. i have no faith that a state of the art substantial renovation WILL EVER occur. su will continue as at always does, cheap out and MAYBE do the bare necessity. dome renovation appears to be in the mhythical category as a med school and improving the law school.
if they told me that the dome reno. is on hold as they were moving forward with a med school or high end research, then it is ok by me

 

[Cusefan78]

politics---would this discussion be happening if we were a state school???su needed to plan accordingly as a private organisation does. i have no faith that a state of the art substantial renovation WILL EVER occur. su will continue as at always does, cheap out and MAYBE do the bare necessity. dome renovation appears to be in the mhythical category as a med school and improving the law school.
if they told me that the dome reno. is on hold as they were moving forward with a med school or high end research, then it is ok by me

Agree. Until the concrete walls crumble su won’t do any major renovations unless they some how talk nys to fund the majority of it.

 

[tipphill]

This x100... my wife and I are NJ leaders for a nonprofit that helps families who have experienced the unthinkable. We are 100% reliant on the generosity of others. If charitable deductions go away, so does the assistance.

in my situation, i will donate anyway. deduction or no deduction. i have 3 charities besides my church, as well as a deduction from my paycheck for employee situations, and cash that we give that cannot be deducted any way. gofundme contributions are also not tax deductable
i am really not sure but guess that the regular folks donate from the heart and not because its a deduction. just my opinion.

 

[rrlbees]

Bottom line is if they are that worried about this then they aren’t even close on getting this done and the university has much bigger problems.

not really.

 

[rrlbees]

Agree. Until the concrete walls crumble su won’t do any major renovations unless they some how talk nys to fund the majority of it.

where are you getting this from? there will be a reno unless they decide to build new.

 

[UnknownOrange]

Tickets aren't write-offs (deductible charitable donations). Write-offs come from financial contributions where the donor doesn't receive equivalent consideration. Usually, that means intangible (amorphous) benefits, such as "memberships", or accessories of minimal value, such as a school flag or a team calendar. Neither type of "benefit" is exclusive to educational institutions, and both are commonly used by charitable institutions to raise money. Raffles, parties, musical events, club memberships, accessories, etc. ... are also standard charitable fund-raising methods dating back to WWII. So it really doesn't matter if you 'get it' or not.

Well 80% of the donation portion of the ticket is tax deductible. The donation portion of a seat is like a PSL (personal seat license) but because SU is non-profit they can just word it that way. As all universities do.

So basically all that will happen is the universities will find new ways to word it and prices will follow the same model just with a new structure.

All in all? I don't think you should get a write off for your tickets. I think you should if you just donate to the athletic department.

 

[shandeezy7]

in my situation, i will donate anyway. deduction or no deduction. i have 3 charities besides my church, as well as a deduction from my paycheck for employee situations, and cash that we give that cannot be deducted any way. gofundme contributions are also not tax deductable
i am really not sure but guess that the regular folks donate from the heart and not because its a deduction. just my opinion.

Right, many regular folks probably do donate out of the goodness of their heart. The problem lies within the fact that typically around 90% of an organization's total dollars raised comes from 10% (or less) of that organization's donors. It's these donors that are making high level major gifts that would be most affected by a change in the charitable gift deduction. Even a 5-10% reduction in giving by these donors could prove catastrophic for a number of organizations, especially ones that are ultra-reliant on fundraising supplementing their operating budget.

 

[reedny]

Well 80% of the donation portion of the ticket is tax deductible. The donation portion of a seat is like a PSL (personal seat license) but because SU is non-profit they can just word it that way. As all universities do.

So basically all that will happen is the universities will find new ways to word it and prices will follow the same model just with a new structure.

All in all? I don't think you should get a write off for your tickets. I think you should if you just donate to the athletic department.

The ticket is not deductible. Club membership, donations, etcetera are deductible (with certain limits) ... just like I was saying. The new tax plan will turn charitable donations upside down, and for what? 80 % of the benefits are going to the top 1% and the estimates are that between 1.4T to 2.4t will go on the debt within 10 years. That's just a sham.

 

[dollarbill44]

Also people for the most part are good natured and don’t look at donations as a write off. They do donations cause it makes them feel good or cause they want to. That won’t change because you can’t deduct it on your taxes.

I think youre right as far as small donations go, but the big donations are usually made with the tax deduction in mind.

 

[SUskibum]

I think youre right as far as small donations go, but the big donations are usually made with the tax deduction in mind.

You do understand that donations for the purpose of deductions are essentially paying an organization of your choice $100 for the right to recieve $30-$40 back from the government right?

The last time I checked, they end with with a lot less money whether they have a deduction or not.

Also, that $30-$40 that the donor receives from the government is payed proportionally by the rest of the tax paying population. The rest of the tax paying population is literally subsidizing that persons donation.

 

[dollarbill44]

You do understand that donations for the purpose of deductions are essentially paying an organization of your choice $100 for the right to recieve $30-$40 back from the government right?

The last time I checked, they end with with a lot less money whether they have a deduction or not.

Also, that $30-$40 that the donor receives from the government is payed proportionally by the rest of the tax paying population. The rest of the tax paying population is literally subsidizing that persons donation.

Im quite familiar wih how it works. I also know for a fact that wealthy people do make donations with the tax deduction in mind.

 

[UnknownOrange]

The ticket is not deductible. Club membership, donations, etcetera are deductible (with certain limits) ... just like I was saying. The new tax plan will turn charitable donations upside down, and for what? 80 % of the benefits are going to the top 1% and the estimates are that between 1.4T to 2.4t will go on the debt within 10 years. That's just a sham.

Yeah I am aware of what you're saying but the donation is tied in with the ticket. What I said was correct. 80% of the donation portion of the ticket is tax deductible.

Courtside seats are $10,250 for the front row. The "ticket" is only $460 of that lol.

It's just how they structure it. All that's going to happen is the wording will change and you won't be able to claim the donation anymore.