Young, Sanchez introduce CARS Act to spur vehicle donations to charities

U.S. Reps. Todd Young (R-IN) and Linda Sanchez (D-CA) recently introduced the Charitable Automobile Red-Tape Simplification (CARS) Act of 2015 to address a decline in charitable vehicle donations.

“Thousands of charities rely on the donation of cars as a key fundraising tool,” Young said. “This is especially true for smaller organizations like churches or local food banks. Our bill makes a simple change to spur these donations after years of decline in the hope we can restore a critical resource charities use to make a difference in their communities.”

The CARS Act aims to allow donors to claim tax deductions of between $500 and $2,500 on auto donations, provided they obtain valuations from authorized online valuation services and the charities verify the physical condition of the vehicles.

“Today, charities and organizations are struggling to meet the needs of our communities, with fewer resources and staff to carry out their missions,” Sanchez said. “By making this simple change to the charitable automobile-donation process, the CARS Act will make it easier for people to donate their cars to charities that provide these critical services. I am proud to work alongside Congressman Young to help bring this legislation to fruition and stand committed to ensuring it is enacted.”