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Cancer Patient Owes Over $19,000 in Taxes From Donations
2017-03-24 at 12.12.27 AM
http://www.realfarmacy.com/cancer-irs-taxes/




Two years after surviving a horrible car crash and battling cancer, Casey Charf is now fighting a new battle. This battle is with the IRS.

In 2013, Casey survived a car crash that broke her neck and back in several places.

Paramedics flew Casey to the hospital after the crash. During tests and scans to check for accident injuries, doctors discovered tumors hidden throughout Casey’s body. She had no idea she had cancer.



Casey’s story went viral, reaching doctors and donors across the nation. Health experts from all over offered to treat Casey’s rare cancer, pheochromocytoma. Hundreds of people attended fundraisers for the Charf family to help with travel and medical expenses. Her sister set up a GoFundMe account online and over a thousand people around the world donated to the Charfs, raising almost $50,000.



Casey has traveled to Maryland and Louisiana for treatment over the past two years. She has also received chemotherapy and radiation in Omaha, where she lives. So far, efforts to cure for Casey’s cancer have shown little progress.



Casey says there are still tumors in her spine and bones, though at this point the cancer has stopped spreading.



Casey received a letter saying she owed about $20,000 in taxes

On March 30th, 2015, the IRS notified the Charfs that what they had collected through the GoFundMe account should have been claimed as income. Of nearly $50,000 that was donated, the government wants $15,457 in back taxes and another $3,676 in penalties and interest. In total, the letter indicated the Charfs owe the IRS $19,133 by April 29th.



“We’ve already used all the money for doctors bills,” says Charf



When the IRS was contacted, a spokesperson declined to comment.



GoFundMe has posted on the website ‘while this is by no means a guarantee, most donations on GoFundMe are simply considered to be personal gifts which are not taxed as income in the U.S.’



According to multiple internet sources, online donations are often considered to be non-taxable, similar to cash donations or gifts.



Chad Brown, President of Liberty Tax Service franchises in Omaha and Iowa, believes that these donations are a gift and that Casey should have no tax consequence. While he is not the Charf’s accountant, he offered a professional opinion. He said that crowdfunding sites often use a third party to pay out donations, and that anything over $20,000 annually require businesses to legally file a 1099 with the IRS.



Brown believes we may soon see new tax language or guidelines on how to note online donations in a tax return.



The Charfs are appealing their case. Casey is handing this battle the way she handles her cancer, with a smile. She says she’s “Just happy to be alive.”



Ariana Marisol is a contributing staff writer for REALfarmacy.com. She is an avid nature enthusiast, gardener, photographer, writer, hiker, dreamer, and lover of all things sustainable, wild, and free. Ariana strives to bring people closer to their true source, Mother Nature. She graduated The Evergreen State College with an undergraduate degree focusing on Sustainable Design and Environmental Science.