Bill Text: NJ A5513 | 2018-2019 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Provides for voluntary contributions by taxpayers on gross income tax returns for Meals on Wheels.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 6-1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2019-12-16 - Substituted by S463 [A5513 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2018-A5513-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman RONALD S. DANCER
District 12 (Burlington, Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean)
SYNOPSIS
Provides for voluntary contributions by taxpayers on gross income tax returns for Meals on Wheels.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning voluntary contributions through gross income tax returns to support the Meals on Wheels program in New Jersey, supplementing chapter 9 of Title 54A of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. There is established in the Department of the Treasury a special fund to be known as the "Meals on Wheels in New Jersey Fund."
b. A taxpayer shall have the opportunity to indicate on the taxpayer's New Jersey gross income tax return that a portion of the taxpayer's tax refund or an enclosed contribution shall be deposited in the "Meals on Wheels in New Jersey Fund."
c. Any costs incurred by the Division of Taxation for collection or administration attributable to this section may be deducted from receipts collected pursuant to this section, as determined by the Director of the Division of Budget and Accounting in the Department of the Treasury. The State Treasurer shall deposit net contributions collected pursuant to this section into the "Meals on Wheels in New Jersey Fund."
d. The Legislature shall annually appropriate all monies deposited in the "Meals on Wheels in New Jersey Fund" established pursuant to this section for distribution to the Meals on Wheels America organization for allocation to each of the independently-run local programs operating in the State of New Jersey to support its programs enabling senior citizens to live healthier lives in their own home.
2. This act shall take effect immediately and apply to taxable years beginning on or after the January 1 next following enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill establishes the "Meals on Wheels in New Jersey Fund" and provides for a designation on the State gross income tax return that will permit taxpayers to make voluntary contributions to the fund.
Meals on Wheels America is a 26 U.S.C. s.503(c)(3) tax exempt organization that provides services in the State of New Jersey through a network of independently-run local programs throughout the State. The "Meals on Wheels in New Jersey Fund" is to support the Meals on Wheels local programs in their mission to provide nutritious meals to senior citizens and, thereby, help senior citizens to live healthier lives in the privacy of their own homes.
The meals provided by the Meals on Wheels local programs ensure that the senior citizens receive proper nutrition, which has been linked to a strengthened immune system, faster healing time, and increased mental acuity. Furthermore, nutrition is not the only benefit provided by the Meals on Wheels local programs. In instances when a meal is delivered to the senior citizen's home, the Meals on Wheels volunteer performs a safety check and, in the case of an emergency, can call the authorities. In instances when the meals are provided in a communal setting, such as a community center, senior citizens receive valuable social interaction along with a nutritious meal.
