By Katie Roche, Development Director, Englert Theatre
To the Editor:
We must support existing incentives for charitable giving by protecting the full scope and value of the tax deduction for all forms of charitable gifts. Charitable giving incentives encourage donors to give more, but under the Senate tax reform proposal, charities could see a staggering loss of up to $13.1 billion in contributions annually.
The public consistently supports the charitable deduction. Eighty-eight percent of voters believe we should make it easier for people to deduct charitable contributions from their taxes. A public opinion poll commissioned by the United Way found that most Americans (79 percent) believe reducing or eliminating the charitable tax deduction would have a negative impact on charities and the people they serve. It is important to remember that charitable giving incentives do not enrich individual donors, but are an investment in the public good, benefiting the millions of Americans who access services provided by nonprofit organizations.
I support expanding the charitable deduction to make it available to 100 percent of taxpayers, regardless of whether they itemize, and urge you to write your state elected officials in support a universal charitable deduction.
This article was originally published in Little Village issue 233.
