PRESIDENT, CONGRESS HONOR SLAIN POLICE OFFICERS WITH TAX BENEFIT

Taxpayers who wish to donate to the families of two New York City police detectives killed in December will be able to deduct contributions made early this year on their 2014 tax returns.

Under a new law signed by President Obama this week, donors making cash gifts between Jan. 1 and April 15 this year can claim the charitable contribution for tax purposes as if they had occurred in 2014.

The Slain Officer Family Support Act of 2015 also provides that a telephone bill showing the name of a tax exempt organization accepting the donation, as well as the amount and the date of the gift, will satisfy recordkeeping requirement.

New York Detectives Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos were sitting in a marked police car in the afternoon on Dec. 20 when a gunman approached and shot both at close range.