Tax Deduction for Jury Duty

From today’s News and Observer (Raleigh, NC):

Randolph County Republican Jerry Tillman has introduced a bill in the NC Senate that makes jury duty not seem like such a bad idea.

“A bill would let you deduct income lost while on jury duty. Sen. Jerry Tillman, a Randolph County Republican, said he filed the bill after he heard from a constituent who lost thousands of dollars while serving on a federal grand jury.

"They were paying him $40 a day," Tillman said. "That will barely cover his travel and his food, and he would lose several hundred dollars a day by not being able to run his business."

Under Tillman's proposal, North Carolinians who serve on state or federal juries would be allowed to deduct the lost income from their state taxes.”

For years, citizens have tried to avoid the big J for fear of losing income. It’s not the actual service we mind, it’s that we would only get about $12 for an entire days worth of service. I know, there is the whole “community service” aspect and that we should be proud to be citizen volunteers. I’ve also thought it was a bit draconian to request citizens to serve jury duty, and in turn lose pay from their job.

Hopefully, Senator Tillman’s proposal will gain some traction and pass through the NC legislature.