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Moscow woman pushes for tax breaks for disabled

Times-Tribune (Scranton, PA) - 7/22/2014

July 22--A Moscow woman with Down syndrome, who has turned into a national advocate for people with disabilities, will urge Congress on Wednesday to create a tax break for families with disabled relatives.

Sara Wolff, 31, a board member of the National Down Syndrome Society since 2007, will urge a Senate panel to create a tax break similar to the popular 529 investment accounts for college and other higher education.

Ms. Wolff, a law clerk at the O'Malley & Langan law firm in Scranton, said she learned of the tax break idea as a society board member and from Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, who is sponsoring a bill to create it.

Families struggle to pay the costs of care for the disabled, which makes Mr. Casey's idea worthy, she said. Ms. Wolff said she authored a petition urging Congress to pass the tax break on change.org. More than 260,000 people have signed the online petition, she said.

She hopes Mr. Casey's bill will be passed after this week.

Under 529 education plans, families put money into a special bank or investment accounts. The contribution may not be deducted from federal taxes, but any interest or other income generated by the contributed money is tax-free as long as it is spent on legitimate educational expenses.

The 529-ABLE (Achieving A Better Life Experience) plan that Mr. Casey proposes would allow families who have relatives with long-term disabilities to put money into an account that may grow and be used tax-free to help in the care of the disabled relatives.

The money could be used for their education, housing, transportation, healthcare and other expenses. It would not count toward determining eligibility for Social Security, Medicaid or other benefits.

Mr. Casey, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee Subcommittee on Taxation and IRS Oversight, will run the hearing. Almost three quarters of senators signed on as co-sponsors of the bill, more than any other pending Senate bill, according to Mr. Casey's office.

Contact the writer:

bkrawczeniuk@timesshamrock.com

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