It’s getting serious: the White House is pushing hard for reducing or even eliminating the tax deduction that is given when one makes a charitable donation. And the nation’s charities are fighting back just as hard, hiring lobbying firms to help them do battle with the greedy government.
Top White House aides are threatening nonprofit groups to support Obama in his desire to reduce their deductions in order to cut the federal deficit and avoid the “fiscal cliff.”
The United Way, the American Red Cross and Lutheran Services in America have joined forces in fighting Obama.
Diana Aviv, president of Independent Sector, which represents a number of non-profit organizations, warned, “It’s all castor oil. And the members of the nonprofit sector I represent don’t want any part of it. It’s a medicine we’re not willing to drink.” The non-profits have spent more than $21 million in fighting Obama for the past three years.
Because Obama is using the looming fiscal cliff as a club to beat opponents into submission, there has been increased concern from the nonprofit charities. They are worried that if the deductions are put into place, wealthy donors would be more reluctant to give to the charities.
Jatrice Martel Gaiter, executive vice president for external affairs at Volunteers of America, admitted, “It would be devastating. Of course people want to say they are giving out of the goodness of their hearts, and of course they are, but the tax deduction makes our hearts larger and our goodness even better.”
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