Jeffries says IRS should give cop charity donors more time

Sponsors Legislation to Extend Tax-Filing Deadline

February 19, 2015 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle

U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries says residents making charitable donations to the families of slain detectives Liu and Ramos should get an extension on filing their taxes. Photo courtesy of Jeffries’ office

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Residents who have opened their hearts to donate money to help the families of slain Brooklyn detectives should be granted an extension for filing their income taxes, according to U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries.

Jeffries (D-Brooklyn-Queens) and U.S. Rep. Peter King (R-Long Island) are jointly sponsoring a bipartisan bill, the Slain Officer Family Support Act of 2015, which would extend the tax deadline beyond April 15 so that individuals making charitable donations to the families of assassinated detectives Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos can apply for deductions to their 2014 tax returns.

If it is passed, the legislation would be effective retroactively from Jan. 1.

Jeffries said that the bill is designed to help the Liu and Ramos families and to encourage donations.

“Detectives Ramos and Liu were American heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice in their commitment to keep us safe. The pain of losing a loved one is more than enough to bear. Their families should not have to worry about how they will put food on the table in the aftermath of such an unspeakable tragedy,” he said in a statement.

There is a precedent for such legislation, according to Jeffries. Congress enacted laws in both 2014 and 2010 to encourage donations to the Philippines in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda and to Haiti after the devastating earthquake, he said.

Liu and Ramos were sitting in their marked patrol car outside a Bedford-Stuyvesant housing project on Dec. 20 when they were approached from behind and, with no warning, shot at point-blank range.

Liu and Ramos had been assigned to patrol the Tompkins Public Housing Development in Bedford-Stuyvesant as a part of a critical-response detail deployed to the area due to an increase in violence there over the past year.

Ramos, 40, joined the NYPD two years ago and is survived by a wife and two sons, ages 13 and 19. Liu, 32, was a newlywed. He is survived by his wife and his parents.

The city paid tribute to Liu and Ramos by dedicating the streets where they lived in their memory with new street signs bearing their names.

Mayor Bill de Blasio signed the re-naming bill into law on Feb. 5. The bill had been approved by the City Council on Jan. 22.

The legislation authorizes the co-naming of West 6th Street between Avenue S and Avenue T in Gravesend “Detective Wenjian Liu Way” and co-names Ridgewood Avenue between Shepherd Avenue and Highland Place “Detective Rafael Ramos Way.”

“Detectives Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu made the ultimate sacrifice while protecting the safety and security of our city’s residents—and they will not be forgotten. The memories of these fallen heroes will remain in our hearts, and their families’ hearts, forever,” de Blasio said.