Make cancer pay the tax

Prostate cancer is the most common non-skin cancer in America, and one in six men will develop prostate cancer in his lifetime. But now California residents have an unusual weapon in the fight against this disease: their tax forms.

Californians filling out their tax forms this year can donate directly to prostate cancer research on Line 64 of their state income tax returns. Each whole-dollar donation will directly support leading research institutions in California through a competitive grant program and are 100 percent tax deductible.

The Prostate Cancer Foundation is paying all administrative costs of the competition so that all money directed by Californians for prostate cancer research will go to research.

Agoura Hills resident Bob Each has battled prostate cancer during the past decade.

"Because one in six men gets this disease, hundreds of thousands of California families are affected," Each said.

"Fortunately, researchers are on the hunt for better treatments and a cure. Taxpayers in our state can help fund important research projects, right on their tax forms," said Each.

He has joined the Prostate Cancer Foundation to launch Fund the Research; Find a Cure, a public education campaign to inform state taxpayers. California ranks highest in estimated new prostate cancer cases nationwide.

Taxpayer donations will help leading prostate cancer research centers in California find better treatments for the disease. The more money raised for research, the closer researchers are to saving the lives of fathers, brothers and husbands.

The Fund the Research; Find a Cure campaign will continue through the April 17 tax filing deadline in order to accommodate residents who will file time extensions.

For information, visit www. caprostatecancerresearchfund.org.