Orthodox Union Objects To President Obama’s Budget Proposal Provision Which Will Harm Charities

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nathan-diament-and-obama-smallToday, the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America objected to one aspect of President Obama’s federal budget proposal, released today, which, the Orthodox Union says will harm charities across the American landscape.

The President proposes that taxpayers earning more than $250,000 (for a married couple; $200,000 for an individual tax filer) will have their ability to deduct contributions to charities reduced from a rate of 35 percent to a rate of 28 percent. (Thus, for example, a person making a $10,000 contribution to a charity would, under the Obama proposal, receive a tax deduction of $2800, as opposed to $3500.) Experts have estimated that such a change in the tax law could reduce donations to American charities by approximately $4 billion annually.

Nathan Diament, Executive Director of Public Policy for the Orthodox Union, issued the following statement:

“The Orthodox Union, like so many in America’s nonprofit sector, is deeply concerned over President Obama’s budget proposal to reduce the rate of deductibility for charitable contributions. The tax deductibility of charitable contributions is, apart from a person’s generosity of spirit, the most powerful tool America’s charities possess to raise funds that enable them to serve their brothers and sisters.

“Even in good economic times, a proposal such as the one put forth in the President’s budget would adversely affect America’s charities. In these distressed times, in which charities are serving more people’s needs while at the same time continuing to suffer a downturn in donations, the proposal to reduce the rate of tax deductibility for contributions is a recipe for harmful displacements and cuts in much-needed non-profit sector institutions and services.

“We are disappointed that despite the across-the-board protests this proposal has received from the charitable sector in past years, the President puts forward this harmful proposal yet again. We intend, therefore, to work again with our partners across the nonprofit sector and in Congress to ensure that charities are not harmed in next year’s federal budget.”

{Noam Amdurski-Matzav.com Newscenter}


11 COMMENTS

  1. Either you give tzedaka because you consider it a torah mitzva, or you give it for the tax write off. This gives you an opportunity to demonstrate which is it for you.

  2. Our friend, Anonymous, should learn some arithmetic. Assuming that a donor “maasers” his money correctly, that is by doing at least one after tax iteration, and determines to give a particular given, after tax amount,the charity or charities will receive less.

  3. re #1:
    The amount you give, if you have any significant income and any significant numeracy, depends intimately on the net “cost” to you, and thus on your tax write-off. If a $100 donation will cost me $65 in after-tax income, I will be much more inclined to give $150; if the ATC will be $72, the donation will be only $135. For larger amounts, and over many donations, the difference will be significant.

    In any case, many Jewish organizations, which tend to be liberal, are now hoist on their own petard. As the blob of government grows exponentially, more and more resources will be sucked from charities so that the government can distribute it to its own favored causes.

  4. I don’t agree with #1. You give tzedaka because you consider it a Torah mitzvah, but the amount of tzedaka you can afford to give depends, to some degree, on the tax write-off.

  5. #1 One does not “give for the write off” because you still do not get 65% back. However, it makes it easier to give more – in this case about 7%.

  6. Obama wants all the needy to look to his government, really to him personally, for whatever they need, and not to private citizens and their voluntary organizations. Meet the new Pharaoh.

  7. Dear #1, you are wrong. Since my ma’aser is given on a post tax basis, the increase in tax will reduce the funds avaliable for tzedakah.

  8. #1 – wrong! The lesser tax write off will result in less money in your pocket, therefore leading to a lower tzedaka contribution in the future.

  9. These R Takonows before the elections.

    If Chlilah he is re-elected Don’t Ask what to

    expect.

    May Above guide his people in the right direction.

  10. while #1 indeed may be off in his math , i am astounded that no one called out our fearless (remember he courageously ordered marines half a world away from him, to shoot a pirate!)commander in chief on his lack of arithmetical prowess. NOBODY gets a larger deduction than another for charity. what you get (until it phases out) is that the money you give, is not subject to tax. so if my tax rate is 35%and i give 100$ i save a tax bill that i otherwise would have been liable for of 35$ whereas if my rate is 28% i save a bill of 28$. in both cases it is the same. I am not responsible to pay tax on earned money i give to charity. what this genius is proposing is to tell someone in the 35% bracket is. every dollar you earn that you give to charity, you still must pay 7 cents tax on it. hows that for fairness. the man is a crook who cant add. ahfirmitiv akshion all the way to the funhouse

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