Help the Bay When You File Your Taxes
You’ve got no control over where most of your tax dollars go. The exception is Line 35 on the Maryland state income tax form. Check that line and you make a direct contribution to Chesapeake Bay and the Endangered Species Fund. The Fund — split evenly between the Chesapeake Bay Trust and Maryland Department of Natural Resources — supports Bay restoration and conserves native wildlife and endangered species.
Last year, the tax check-off amounted to more than $1.1 million, helping restore shorelines, educate schoolchildren about the environment, green our neighborhoods and clean-up local rivers and streams.
Donations of any amount can be made and are tax-deductible. Last year, almost 40,000 state income tax statements were returned with contributions to the fund averaging $28.
“Small contributions of $10, $25 or $50 add up in a big way and generate the funds that the Chesapeake Bay Trust uses to support hundreds of projects that get kids outdoors and help improve the health of local communities and Maryland’s waters,” says Trust director Allen Hance.
Of course you won’t forget that April 16 is this year’s tax deadline; the calendar buys you a one-day reprieve, as April 15 falls on Sunday.