The Republican tax bill currently making its way through the Senate eliminates the deduction allowed for tickets to college athletic events starting Jan. 1.
Currently, if you buy Huskers season tickets you have to contribute to the Nebraska University Foundation or a club and pay full ticket price. Under the current tax law, up to 80-percent can be tax-deductible.
"That's how the revenue is traded off, you take it away from someone to give it back to someone else it's a leveling affect to bring the rates down," NU Regent Hal Daub said.
He believes this trade-off won't affect Husker fans' passion to attend games, "I have a hard time thinking that very many Nebraska Cornhusker fans aren't going to buy Husker football because they loose the deductibility of the price they pay or part of the price they pay for purchasing a football ticket."
However, the NU Foundation said they get roughly $200 million a year from donations and dish it out through its four campuses to help with research and scholarships and believe this bill would affect the giving spirit.
"We are concerned that if it is no longer a charitable deduction to give to non-profits that fewer people will make charitable deductions," said Dorothy Endacott, with NU Foundation Marketing and Communications.
Endacott said the athletic department gives at least $10 million to academics every year and hope lawmakers take this proposal out of the final bill, "we are asking our elected representatives that they reconsider that repeal."
The same section of the bill increases limits on cash contributions to organizations, capping deduction limits at 60 percent; and adjusts the charitable mileage rate to 14 cents per mile "for inflation."
READ THE BILL: College athletic ticket deductions item starts on p. 114
Some speculate losing that particular write-off could hurt universities with large and loyal fan-bases, like the Huskers.
Other season ticket holders have told 3 News Now they don't think the tax deduction will impact their decision on buying tickets.
Congressman Don Bacon voted for the bill and released this statement: "The goal of updating the federal tax code for the first time in 30 years is to streamline and simplify it, and give Americans the ability to keep more of their hard earned money. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will do that by doubling the standard deduction, allowing a middle-income family of four an average tax break of $1,200. Although I am not opposed to having a deduction for donations tied to season ticket purchases, the more deductions we include, the more we have to raise the tax rates for every American. Individuals will still be able to deduct charitable donations, including donations to higher education and intercollegiate athletics not tied to purchasing of tickets. Nebraskans will still support the Huskers, Mavericks, or Jays with or without a tax deduction on season ticket donations."
Congressman Jeff Fortenberry also voted for it and responded: “One of the overall considerations in all of this is simplification so that the tax code doesn’t become a hindrance to economic growth and a drag on entrepreneurial opportunity. So in the midst of all that, a number of things that have gotten added or negotiated over the years have been excised.”
Nebraska Athletics tells 3 News Now there's 22,000 season ticket accounts. They said they're aware of the possible changes and are planning to discuss the potential impact next week.
