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New Jersey considers blood and organ donation tax credit.

A lack of organ donations can cause unnecessary deaths. The New Jersey Assembly is considering another idea to increase donations, according to the Tax Foundation in “Organ Donation Tax Credits: A Life or Death Proposal?.”

Getting people and their families to agree to donate organs has proven to be exceptionally difficult. In some cases, it is even difficult to find enough blood donors.

There have been many awareness campaigns, but they normally only have a short-term effect, if they have any at all.

The state is considering offering donors small tax credits for donating blood or organs. In the case of a deceased donor, the tax credit could be used on their final tax return filed by the estate.

Whether these credits would do very much to increase donations is uncertain.

However, these proposals could also be in violation of federal law, which makes it illegal to profit from organ donations. Other states have gotten around that problem by offering tax exemptions for any expense incurred while donating.

It is important to find more blood and organ donors. However, it appears that these New Jersey proposals are likely not going to be solutions, unless federal laws are changed.

Reference: Tax Foundation (June 7, 2017) “Organ Donation Tax Credits: A Life or Death Proposal?.”

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