The Story
Between now and midnight on December 31, Americans are expected to open their wallets to churches and nonprofit organizations during the biggest giving season of the year. As a result, America is the most charitable nation on the planet, giving nearly 1.5% of our gross domestic product annually. However, this impressive charitable spirit is under threat from grinches—including Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders—who would reduce and discourage private giving.
In Short
Measures that discourage giving put at risk work that improves and even saves lives and moves our society toward greater progress, equality, and prosperity. Grinches that advocate for reducing deductions for charitable giving imply that it’s only the very wealthy who will be affected and who will carry a bigger burden, but really it’s charities and those they serve that will suffer. Taxpayers who are motivated by the tax savings will close their wallets when taxes rise or their ability to claim charitable gifts falls. Soaking the rich and draining the charitable sector to fill up government coffers are not effective policy solutions, and Americans should reject those grinches who would starve our nonprofit sector and rob our nation of its unique and admirable charitable spirit.
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