Have you already filed your annual tax return? Remember that you have an important right—to support a Public Benefit Organization (PBO) of your choice. Why is it worth donating 1.5 percent of your tax? For you, it takes just a moment and a quick check of a single box on your tax return. For someone on the other side, it’s real help and motivation to keep going. For the beneficiaries of the Cancer Fighters Foundation—it’s a fight for their health or their lives. 

Why should you donate 1.5% of your taxes?

If you report tax liability on your annual tax return, you can decide how to allocate a portion of it. This is a right available to every individual who files taxes in Poland (regardless of the tax regime). It’s worth taking advantage of it. Why is it worth donating 1.5 percent of your tax? You can decide for yourself who to support and have a real impact on their life. And here another question arises—who should you donate 1.5 percent of your tax to? Perhaps it will be a loved one raising funds for medical treatment or a foundation operating in your area? If you do not designate any Public Benefit Organization, your entire tax liability will go to the State Treasury. Yes, it will be used for public purposes, but you will no longer have control over exactly what it is spent on.

Check out: What are public benefit organizations?

Is it worth donating 1.5% of your tax to a foundation?

One example of a Public Benefit Organization to which you can donate 1.5% is a foundation. Depending on their statutory objectives, they work, among other things, for the benefit of society, environmental protection, and the promotion of education or culture. The 1.5% of tax collected annually from donors very often constitutes a significant portion of a foundation’s income and enables them to continue their work. This is also the case for us. At Cancer Fighters, we focus not only on helping children and adults with cancer, but also on supporting their loved ones. If you are considering where to allocate your 1.5% tax contribution, we would be grateful for your support. Thanks to donors and the 1.5% contributions, we can achieve our statutory goals by directing the collected funds to where they are most needed at any given time.

As an oncology foundation and a public benefit organization, we submit financial and activity reports every year. You can find them on our website and on the website of the National Institute of Freedom. These reports allow you to see exactly how we spend every zloty donated by our supporters. You can be sure that your support translates into tangible action for those we serve. By supporting the oncology foundation with 1.5 percent of your tax, you’re making a vital contribution toward innovative therapies, the purchase of medications, and funding rehabilitation for cancer patients.

If you’re wondering why it’s worth donating 1.5 percent of your taxes even if you have a low income, remember that for people with cancer, two things matter most: time and every single zloty. Your 1.5 percent makes a difference, no matter how much it is.

How does the 1.5% tax help cancer patients?

Every person living with cancer may have different needs. Some of the foundation’s beneficiaries are raising funds for treatment, while others are fighting to regain their mobility after treatment ends. One thing is certain: the 1.5 percent of income tax collected is a huge source of support for them—and not just financial. If you know where to donate your 1.5 percent tax and choose an oncology foundation, you’re actually supporting its beneficiaries twice over. Every donation is a sign that someone is thinking of them. Someone is rooting for their recovery. This awareness gives patients the motivation to keep fighting. We know from experience that such an invisible boost of energy can make a big difference.

Where does the 1.5% tax go at Cancer Fighters?

We allocate the 1.5% tax collected to meet the most urgent needs of the people we support. These needs can be divided into several categories:

• Treatment – we provide financial support for the diagnosis and treatment of those in our care, including access to innovative therapies, which are often the patient’s only hope. We use donations to purchase medications, hygiene supplies, medical equipment, and transportation to the hospital,
• Rehabilitation – physical fitness has a significant impact on the course of treatment, as well as on recovery and the return to normal life. The 1.5% collected allows us to subsidize the purchase of rehabilitation equipment and rehabilitation stays for our residents; we also organize therapeutic and motivational activities aimed at caring for the mental and physical well-being of our residents,
• psychological support – the battle for a patient’s health and life affects not only the patient but also their loved ones. At Cancer Fighters, we provide patients and their families with the necessary psychological support. Depending on their needs, this may include individual consultations with specialists or support groups,
• social assistance – that is, supporting those in our care in their daily lives. This includes help with purchasing food, clothing, fuel, cleaning supplies, and school supplies for children. Medical expenses are important, but we must not forget the basic needs of patients and their loved ones,
• Charity events – our foundation regularly organizes charity events to raise awareness of our fundraising efforts and help our beneficiaries gather the funds they need for treatment. Our volunteers also make sure that patients can forget about cancer, even for a moment. Even a small gift, given during a hospital visit, means a great deal and helps us bring a smile to the faces of children and adults alike.

Find out: What happens to the 1.5% tax?

How do I donate 1.5% of my taxes to a foundation?

If you are filing your PIT return on your own, simply enter the foundation’s details in the section titled “REQUEST TO ALLOCATE 1% OF TAX DUE TO A PUBLIC BENEFIT ORGANIZATION (OPP).” Enter the foundation’s KRS number and specific details if you wish to support a particular beneficiary.

If you use e-PIT, the tax office will automatically fill out your tax return. To donate 1.5% of your tax, edit the document and select the public benefit organization you wish to support.

How can you donate 1.5 percent of your tax to a foundation if you are not employed? Retirees and disability pensioners whose taxes are processed by the pension authority via the PIT-11A form can designate a recipient for the 1.5 percent tax donation by completing the PIT-OP form.

Read more about this here → Where should I donate my 1.5% tax?

If you would like to support the Cancer Fighters Foundation and the people we help, please include our KRS number—0000581036—on your tax return. 

Does donating 1.5 percent cost anything?

Donating 1.5 percent involves no fees. It’s part of your tax that would go to the Treasury anyway. The only “cost” to you is spending just a few minutes filling out a single section of your tax return.

Donate 1.5% of your tax to the Cancer Fighters Foundation and support our patients in their fight against cancer. If you have trouble filling out the KRS section of your tax return, please contact us. Our volunteers will guide you step by step through the process.