I have long been surprised at how few people seem to know about the large sums of money that can be saved on their income tax bills simply by donating many different things to Goodwill, Salvation Army, etc. Such places provide free donation forms that people can fill out and have signed to verify the donations. Almost anything has a deductible resale value.

I often donate items and have noticed people of working age donating a great many items without asking for a receipt. Evidently, those people do not realize the very substantial amounts of money they could save simply by itemizing their donations and getting those valuable receipts.

It is amazing how much value is allowed for each type of item donated. And nothing has to be brand new or in absolutely perfect condition.

When it is time to file an income tax report, the sum of all the provable donations for that year can be listed as a charitable donation. How much a person can save depends on the tax bracket that person is in.

Donating good, used items is especially helpful for those people who are trying to dispose of items because of a death in the family, or simply cleaning out a basement, attic, garage or shed.

Roland Fleming, Auburn