Tax exemption on donations in the context of natural disasters
In July 2021, torrential rain caused a flood disaster of the century with devastating proportions for people and businesses. Relatives were swept away by the floods, livelihoods were destroyed and thousands of people are facing economic ruin. The effects of this natural disaster will leave their mark for a very long time and thousands of people are still struggling to rebuild their existence from scratch. The biggest problem in the current situation is the lack of the promised financial resources.
The state, which from the beginning promised emergency aid to the victims of the flood disaster, is completely overloaded with the responsibility and the implementation of the aid and has fundamentally not done a good job.
In return, private helpers and donations were organized within a very short time and this at a time when there was no immediate relief from the state in sight. This has given the Historic Watermill and many other companies in the region hope for reconstruction.
But the hope of those affected was quickly destroyed:
Companies that are currently facing extinction and their buildings are sinking in the mud, are forced to pay taxes on donations received.
How can and should this be possible in such a situation?
We want to change this and call for the abolition of taxes on donations in the context of natural disasters – without restriction and offsetting!
The mostly small and medium-sized companies can write off the costs incurred for the reconstruction, but this usually only over many years. This represents an additional high financial and emotional burden for entrepreneurs and employers in the region.