Today, the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, the nation’s largest Orthodox Jewish umbrella organization, 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.”
(YWN Desk – NYC)
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6 Responses
Really what do you expect. he wants the government to be big daddy and nobody should come on his turf. he wants to tax you to death and the all knowing obama will decide where and to whom your money goes. Such a baal gevuah there never was.
The Torah tells us to give 10 to 20% for charity; obama
wants to keep cutting so you will not beable to give anything for charity. he is like a porutz.
1. It won’t effect us as much as the goyim since it is rare for a frum family to be making that much, and our charities have a broad base rather than relying on a handful of superrich (which is good, there are very few superrich). Also our “superrich” are unlike to be affected by the added limits on deductions.
2. Given the Democrats desire to centralize power in the government, it makes sense they want to surpress the non-profit sector. It is intersting that as countries threw off socialism after around 1990, one of the first things they strived to do was to reconstruct their “civil society” based on non-profit, voluntary organzations. This shows that Obama’s “socialist agenda” is rarely far from the surface.
Shows how much jacob lew is more of a puppet for obama then a spokesman (catholic contraception, and charity)
This is just another part of the Dmocratic Party”s war on religion.
First, the Catholics; now everone else.
coupled with tax increases, this puts the government more in charge of the types of services charities offer
To #3
Jack Lew is an ehrliche yid whose politcal views on certain issues may differ from yours but he is no “puppet” to anyone. I don’t recall anywhere in the gemorah where it says we should only give tzadakah if its tax deductible. If you want to give, than give but don’t expect other taxpayers to subsidize your maasim tovim.