Americans continued to give in '07, study shows

It is inevitable that once people realize that the new IRS regulations require supporting documentary proof of even simple cash donations, and written appraisals of more substantial donations of clothing and household furnishings, there will be a chilling effect on small non-institutional donors whose annual donations have previously added up to billions of dollars every year. As for the elderly, who are closing down their homes to retire to assisted living, or who are just downsizing, what is to become of their personal property if it is no longer economical to donate it to a charity in exchange for a tax deduction on the 1040 schedule "A"? These issues were raised well before the IRS rules were changed, but no one listened, but that is not really surprising, is it.