Has any U.S. user ever considered crunching SETI work
units as a donation of "services in kind"? It seems
that 10,000 hours or so of CPU time would run up a
considerable data processing fee in the commercial
world. It might sound nit picking, but every nickel
I can save on taxes is a nickel I can put toward more
benefical purposes.

Just one of those fleeting thoughts that run through
your brain as you're drifting off to sleep.

Mike

> Has any U.S. user ever considered crunching SETI work
> units as a donation of "services in kind"? It seems
> that 10,000 hours or so of CPU time would run up a
> considerable data processing fee in the commercial
> world. It might sound nit picking, but every nickel
> I can save on taxes is a nickel I can put toward more
> benefical purposes.
>
> Just one of those fleeting thoughts that run through
> your brain as you're drifting off to sleep.
>
> Mike
>
>
Well, it's not really like donating clothes you don't want anymore to Good Will or Salvation Army.

http://www.setifaq.org/faq.html#1.9 says:

Is there something in it for me?

No. Unless you count the chance to be the first one to make
contact with "The little green men"

I say:

Anyone who can afford it should give real money to the Planetary Society. That is tax deductible.

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> Anyone who can afford it should give real money to the Planetary Society.
> That is tax deductible.

What the Feds dont tell you is that you to count only your personal exemption OR your tax deductions. They dont let you do both. So unless your deductions are greater than your exemption you wont get to claim it.

> > Anyone who can afford it should give real money to the Planetary Society.
>
> > That is tax deductible.
>
> What the Feds dont tell you is that you to count only your personal exemption
> OR your tax deductions. They dont let you do both. So unless your deductions
> are greater than your exemption you wont get to claim it.
>

Ohhhh they tell you, but it's in the instructions for the 1040. Most people file the 1040S, or the 1040-EZ and don't get to see what is really deductiable or not.

Like gays in the Military -- Don't Ask, Don't Tell..

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I'd rather speak my mind because it hurts too much to bite my tongue.

American Spirit BBQ Proudly Serving those that courageously defend freedom.

I found out last year when using Turbo Tax for the first time... and that was AFTER donating my old car.

Pam:
I would really like to donate "real money" to the Society,
but when there's not much of that left after rent, food,
taxes, etc., all I have left is time and services. As you
say, anyone that can afford the cash should contribute.
If all I can contribute is a service, and it reduces my taxes,
then I might have some "real money" to support my favorite
cause. Does it offend you that I would rather divert my
money to worthwhile causes instead of government give-aways?
Just another fleeting thought.

Mike


> > Has any U.S. user ever considered crunching SETI work
> > units as a donation of "services in kind"? It seems
> > that 10,000 hours or so of CPU time would run up a
> > considerable data processing fee in the commercial
> > world. It might sound nit picking, but every nickel
> > I can save on taxes is a nickel I can put toward more
> > benefical purposes.
> >
> > Just one of those fleeting thoughts that run through
> > your brain as you're drifting off to sleep.
> >
> > Mike
> >
> >
> Well, it's not really like donating clothes you don't want anymore to Good
> Will or Salvation Army.
>
> http://www.setifaq.org/faq.html#1.9 says:
>
> Is there something in it for me?
>
> No. Unless you count the chance to be the first one to make
> contact with "The little green men"
>
> I say:
>
> Anyone who can afford it should give real money to the Planetary Society.
> That is tax deductible.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

---

> Pam:
> I would really like to donate "real money" to the Society,
> but when there's not much of that left after rent, food,
> taxes, etc., all I have left is time and services. As you
> say, anyone that can afford the cash should contribute.
> If all I can contribute is a service, and it reduces my taxes,
> then I might have some "real money" to support my favorite
> cause. Does it offend you that I would rather divert my
> money to worthwhile causes instead of government give-aways?
> Just another fleeting thought.
>
> Mike

I am not offended, Mike Sr. I think the Treasury Department would be. People go to jail and lose their property over this kind of thing. I don't think Berkeley would back you up. Although our crunching saves them millions, they make it clear that all we stand to gain is the possibility of being named co-discoverer. But since you mention that you rent, the point is probably moot anyway. I never itemized deductions until I became a homeowner. I never had enough to deduct until then.

I just don't want you to go to jail. I want you free and crunching away and I hope your computer finds that signal and you get your name in lights and go on a big speaking tour to promote your book "How I Found ET" and when you come to my area I'll go and get your autograph on my copy.

Nothing wrong with fleeting thoughts. If someone wanted to promote a change in the tax statutes to allow for deductions for distributed computing, I think we'd all support that. But I think you'd still be stuck with the standard deduction, unless you could deduct the outlay for a really nice computer, some kind of quad Xeon thing to blow the doors off RAC. Wouldn't that be swell?

Happy crunching and keep sharing those fleeting thoughts with us. I think it's what the Cafe is for, after all.

Pam

---

Pam:
I guess I misspoke when I said "rent". I do have a mortgage and I do itemize.
I've spent most of my adult life in and around the Space Program. I'm now
retired, but my final assignment was as Network Operations Manager for NASA's
Space Tracking and Data Network (STDN) at Goddard Space Flight Center in
Maryland. I'm not crunching for SETI for the glory of "I found it", only to
satisify myself that I'm right in my belief that "they're out there".

As far as the Treasury Department goes, the Planetary Society is a legally
formed charitable organization under IRS rules, and donations of cash and
services are deductible. I just don't know what type of services qualify.
It seems intuitive that if our crunching is saving them millions, that
service has some monetary value but the question is, How Much?.
I don't think there's a danger of going to jail. If I claim a few bucks as
a deduction and it's denied, I'll just pay up and go on with life. After all,
isn't that what we're all doing? Pushing the limits in quest of knowledge?

Anyway, thanks for your concern, it's appreciated. Hope to talk again in
the Cafe and I'll bring the beer.

Mike

> I am not offended, Mike Sr. I think the Treasury Department would be. People
> go to jail and lose their property over this kind of thing. I don't think
> Berkeley would back you up. Although our crunching saves them millions, they
> make it clear that all we stand to gain is the possibility of being named
> co-discoverer. But since you mention that you rent, the point is probably moot
> anyway. I never itemized deductions until I became a homeowner. I never had
> enough to deduct until then.
>
> I just don't want you to go to jail. I want you free and crunching away and I
> hope your computer finds that signal and you get your name in lights and go on
> a big speaking tour to promote your book "How I Found ET" and when you come to
> my area I'll go and get your autograph on my copy.
>
> Nothing wrong with fleeting thoughts. If someone wanted to promote a change
> in the tax statutes to allow for deductions for distributed computing, I think
> we'd all support that. But I think you'd still be stuck with the standard
> deduction, unless you could deduct the outlay for a really nice computer, some
> kind of quad Xeon thing to blow the doors off RAC. Wouldn't that be swell?
>
> Happy crunching and keep sharing those fleeting thoughts with us. I think
> it's what the Cafe is for, after all.
>
> Pam
>

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