Don’t Burn Your House Down Just Yet….

Donating the final use of your home may not be tax deductible as a charitable donation.  It is common, in cases were people are going to demolish an existing building and rebuild, that the existing building may be donated as gift to the local fire department for the purpose of teaching,training, etc. an exercise in putting out fires.  Having said that, simply donating your old house to be burned down, doesn’t cut it. Essentially the main question is who receives the larger benefit, the taxpayer or the public?  Therefore, in order to receive the tax deduction, the taxpayer must show that the value of the donation exceeded the value of the demolition services provided.

More info: (Rolfs, 7th Cir)