- Targeted stakeholdersIncreases per-mile tax deduction or reimbursement for volunteer drivers transporting people or property.
- Targeted stakeholdersReduces out-of-pocket travel costs for volunteers, potentially making volunteering more affordable.
- Targeted stakeholdersMay improve nonprofit service delivery and volunteer retention by raising reimbursements.
Volunteer Driver Tax Appreciation Act of 2025
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
This bill (Volunteer Driver Tax Appreciation Act of 2025) amends Internal Revenue Code section 170 to change the mileage rate used for charitable deductions.
It retains a 14-cent-per-mile floor generally, but for transportation of persons or property on behalf of certain charities a rate set by the Treasury Secretary must be no less than the standard business (sections 162 and 212) mileage rate.
The change applies to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2024.
Small, administrable change with modest fiscal impact increases plausibility; success depends on bundling with larger tax/omnibus legislation or agreement on offsets.
Relative to its intended legislative type, this bill is a narrowly scoped statutory amendment to the Internal Revenue Code that clearly identifies the targeted provision and provides an effective date, but it contains drafting irregularities, delegates a critical determination to the Secretary without procedural detail, and omits fiscal and oversight provisions.
Liberals stress nonprofit and access benefits; conservatives stress fiscal cost.
Who stands to gain, and who may push back.
- Federal agenciesIncreases federal revenue losses through larger charitable mileage deductions.
- TaxpayersPrimarily benefits taxpayers who itemize, potentially creating distributional inequities.
- Targeted stakeholdersMay encourage additional driving, raising vehicle emissions and related externalities.
Why the argument around this bill splits.
Liberals stress nonprofit and access benefits; conservatives stress fiscal cost.
Likely supportive because the bill increases support for volunteer drivers and nonprofits that serve vulnerable people.
They will welcome higher reimbursements that can help sustain volunteer-delivered services, while noting the bill relies on tax deductions rather than direct funding.
Cautiously favorable but pragmatic; sees a modest, targeted policy to help volunteers and charities.
Would seek a clear estimate of revenue impact and implementation details to prevent abuse and ensure efficient targeting.
Skeptical because it expands a tax expenditure and increases federal revenue loss.
Some conservatives may appreciate supporting volunteerism, but many will object to enlarging deductions without offsets.
The path through Congress.
Reached or meaningfully advanced
Reached or meaningfully advanced
Still ahead
Still ahead
Still ahead
Small, administrable change with modest fiscal impact increases plausibility; success depends on bundling with larger tax/omnibus legislation or agreement on offsets.
- Estimated revenue impact absent from text
- Whether offsets or pay-for will be required
Recent votes on the bill.
No vote history yet
The bill has not accumulated any surfaced votes yet.
Go deeper than the headline read.
Liberals stress nonprofit and access benefits; conservatives stress fiscal cost.
Small, administrable change with modest fiscal impact increases plausibility; success depends on bundling with larger tax/omnibus legislati…
Relative to its intended legislative type, this bill is a narrowly scoped statutory amendment to the Internal Revenue Code that clearly identifies the targeted provision and provides an effective date, but it contains d…
Go beyond the headline summary with full stakeholder mapping, legislative design analysis, passage barriers, and lens-by-lens tradeoff breakdowns.