[Drago]

The new $24,000. “standard deduction” (married) isn’t helping charities either...only Mitt Romney comes close to that for charitable contributions/deductions! ;-) Should drop the standard deduction to zero and drop the tax rate to compensate (net zero). Also get rid of the EITC!

[kearnyirish2]

That’s a good point; more and more people would see no tax benefit from charitable donations.

I also think a large part of this is demographic; as older Americans who had “good” jobs attrite out of the economy, the next generation often work in low-paying McJobs that not only prevent them from giving - I believe it really sours them on many of the alleged beneficiaries, who certainly could be working the same McJobs.

Finally, we are reaping what we’ve sown in marginalizing/destroying the WASP culture in this country and its Judeo-Christian roots. Why would younger secular Americans ever give the fruits of their labor to someone else?

[Eric Pode of Croydon]

The purpose of taxes is to collect the money the government needs to perform its Constitutional functions.

Not to incentivize what Washington thinks are good actions, or to punish what Washington thinks are bad deductions.

Flat tax, no deductions is the way to go.

The charity industry along with others (real estate) are just going to have to learn to operate under a different reality.