Do you think this is fair?

Isabel

I know you're probably not looking for a "technical" answer, but...

Most US tax codes are designed to encourage or discourage behavior. For example: deductions for 401k's, retirement funds, home ownership, etc. OR luxury taxes, penalties for early withdraw of retirement funds, etc.

The adoption credit was probably intended to encourage adoption from FOSTER CARE! However (being politicians) limitations weren't written into the tax code and ALL adopters benefit from that so called 'oversight' (or was it done on purpose? Hmmm)

IT SHOULDN'T COST ADOPTEE ANYTHING TO HAVE THEIR OWN BIRTH RECORDS! Then searches wouldn't be so expensive & adoptees wouldn't need adoption credits! LOL

kims

not fair.

But it needn't be an AP benefit vs. adoptee benefit. We should be on the same team. I think adoptive parents should try to get as much information as possible right away rather than letting our children wait eighteen years. We did as Independant suggested. We made sure we adopted from a place where we could meet the family, and that expense was part of our deductible travel expenses.

sweetjane

No, Sunny, I don't think it is fair....but I agree to some extent with Independent. I think it is OUR responsibility as AP's to make damn sure that we have all of the information so that our adoptees never have to search! If WE continue a relationship with the natural parents, extended family, etc, then there is no reason an adoptee would ever have to search. Unfortunately, for far too long, 'open adoptions' have been frowned upon by AP's and mainstream articles on adoption. I **think** this is starting to change. I am hopeful. But I place the responsibility solely on the AP's. If we refuse to do our jobs as parents from the start, then WE should be responsible for helping you finance your search. If WE do our jobs as parents, you should know exactly who your mothers and fathers are from the start.
<<foster-to-adopt mommy

Serenity71

O can't understand that either- writing adoption off against taxes.

ALL potential parents/ new parents should be treated the same. I know we don't have any extra benefits simply because we adopted our children over any other parents, And I don't expect it either.

I believe adoption registers for searches should be provided by the government. Not an extra cost of thousands for an adoptee...

Roberta P

I'm not a tax expert, but I think that the tax credit is to encourage people to adopt child so that the government/taxpayers no longer have to support the child. It is much more cost effective to give a $10,000 tax credit once than support a child via the wasteful government for 18 years or more.

Searching for biological families is a personal and not societal gain, so it is a personal expense. Not eveyone who adopts does it because they can't have a child of their own, so adopting isn't always a personal reason (ie only way to have a family) . Most families I know that have adopted have biological children as well, adoption was not 2nd choice for them but a way to help a child AND grow their family. They all can have more biological children but chose not to but to adopt instead.

Independ"ant"

I think AP's owe it to the adoptees to pay for all expenses incurred when they search for their natural families. Let them write it off as another one of their expenses.

Don't the Pro Adoption Organizations have a fund set up for this?.

Heather B

No it's not fair at all. I've spent thousands on my search. I reckon those of us who were exported should also receive the cut-price flights the airlines give to international adopters. It costs a fortune to visit my family

Linny G

Nope. Just another way we are discriminated against.

IDK!!

If you can get it perscribed by a doc you can write it off, I get to write of hardwood floors because of my son asthma. If searching is for your mental health, then it should be deductable. Well, it shouldn't even be necessary.

maybe

Those when benefited from sealed records should pay for the search: the adoptive parents and the agency.

Opedial

Not fair at all. The only expense I occured was driving every day for three weeks two hours to see one of my children, but we are not using this write off, it was just a part of parenting for us and the process.

Those who spend thousands to receive a child I also believe should not get a tax write off.

I guess I also believe that write off's should not occur for the second scenario either.

I do believe that as an adoptive parent it is mine and CAS;s job to know where my children came from and be open about it for when they want to make contact when they are older.

E Honda

There is little public return for a child identifying their physiological parents, but there is tremendous public return for providing a home to child that otherwise would not have an optimal one.

I'm not saying that a child finding the parent(s) who gave them up for adoption is not valuable to that person, but since taxes are for public funds, they typically try to offer deductions for things that provide a public service as opposed to an individual one.

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