Okay, so how does the "tax credit" work?

Just send a donation by check or money order to the Round Valley School District. Your donation may be designated for the general support of extracurricular programs at the school of your choice, or you may designate a specific extracurricular program. You may also specify that your donation is a fee to cover the cost of a specific child's participation in a specific activity. You must enclose your social security number with your donation, so the school can send you the receipt which is required to take the tax credit.
Then, when you fill out your Arizona tax return, you can subtract the amount of your contribution — up to $200 maximum ($400 for married couples filing a joint tax return) — from what you owe in taxes for the year. It's not just a deduction; it's a credit.
For a change, YOU decide how your tax dollars are spent.

Well all that's nice, but I don't have kids in school. So, I guess I can't take advantage of this tax credit, RIGHT?

In fact, YOU CAN TAKE ADVANTAGE of the Tax Credit, kids in school or not. If you pay Arizona Income Tax, you can take advantage of this opportunity. Everybody wins. You gain a Tax Credit, and the School of your choice gains $400*.

There are no free lunches you know! All this sounds a little too good to be true. But it IS True!

According to the Arizona Department of Revenue, "A credit of up to $400* is available for payment of fees to an Arizona public school for support of extra curricular activities."
Extra curricular activities are defined as school sponsored activities that require enrolled students to pay a fee in order to participate. Such activities include (but are not limited to): field trips, fine arts (band, choir, orchestra, drama), visual arts (painting, drafting, drawing, sculpture, pottery), and athletics. Uniforms and equipment for these activities and scientific laboratory equipment and materials are also included.

Okay, so what are the benefits?

There are plenty. You, the taxpayer, get a $400* Tax Credit for supporting schools. The tax credit donation lets you choose how your tax dollars will be spent.
Schools benefit because extra-curricular activities help children develop qualities such as leadership, cooperation, and personal growth. They also provide safe, supervised activities for students.
Everyone benefits. It's a WIN-WIN situation!!

There is just one small problem. I don't have $400 to donate all at once

Does that mean I can't get this tax credit?
You don't have to give the full $400* all at once. The Tax Credit donation can be contributed in increments throughout the Year. You don't have to give all $400* to one school. Portions of the Tax Credit can be donated to several schools.
(A tax advisor can also help you to adjust the amount withheld from you paychecks so that your "take-home" pay will not be affected by your decision to contribute to the school tax credit.)And just who gets my money?

The schools! If you don't have any particular school in mind, you can make your tax credit donation directly to Round Valley Unified Schools. The district will distribute all funds contributed in this manner to those schools with the greatest need.

Your Tax Credit donation can only be used by SCHOOLS with extra-curricular activities programs. The money cannot be used by Round Valley District as a central entity. In cases of undesignated Tax Credit contributions, the district merely acts as a clearing house for the schools with the greatest need.Well, just how does my contribution help kids?It helps students participate in our extra-curricular programs, like sports, the arts, clubs and other activities that enrich their education and provide them with valuable life experiences. As noted, YOU can specify the program you want to help or, better yet, let your donation help the school with the greatest need.
That's a lot of money!Hey, wait a second. I've been thinking. You know, $400* here, $400* there, pretty soon you could be malking real money, couldn't you?You'd better believe it! Here's some of the math.

If every one of Round Valley's 275 employees made a $400* contribution to the tax credit, our schools would gain $110,000!
If every one of Round Valley's 700 families made a $400* donation, our schools would gain $280,000!!
If every one of the District's 2,200 households made a $400* donation, our schools would gain an incredible $880,000!!!Wow, that would fix a lot of money problems!Keep in mind that the tax credit can only be used for extracurricular activities. It can't be used for teachers' salaries and other Maintenance and Operations (M&O) programs. BUT, if contributions are made to schools in general, that is, if you do not restrict the use of the donation to specific programs or events, THEN, the tax credit donations can FREE-UP M&O dollars which CAN be used for teachers' salaries.In other words, I had better not wait!You can start making contributions to your Arizona School Tax Credit at any time and you're correct that today is not too soon!

One final note. The Arizona School Tax Credit is a Genuine "Two-fer." If you contribute to the Arizona School Tax Credit, that money might also be a "Tax Deduction" on your Federal Income Tax form. See your tax advisor for additional details.
For additional information about the Tax Credit and how to make a contribution, contact: Round Valley Accounting Department at 333-6585.

* - $400 for married couples filing a joint return

Round Valley School District

Tax Credit

Tax Credit Information

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