I suggest that the government keep all charitable deductions and maybe increase the allowance for some. Stop payment of all charitable checks (for example: food stamps, housing and unemployment), use the money to reduce the federal debt.

I suggest that charitable organizations are already in place and new ones will be organized to better and more efficiently accomplish the task than the government is doing.

The following paragraph is copied from "Dynamic income, progressive taxes= and the timing of charitable contributions" by William C. Randolph, Journal of Political Economy 103 (4) (August 1995): 709-38. And http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/1000520.pdf

"Some argue that private charitable activity is superior to direct government activity (Belknap 1977). For example, private social and religious organizations provide some services that substitute for government programs, such as providing food or shelter for the poor. The tax deduction and tax exemption subsidize those organizations while avoiding the direct participation of government, which might be more intrusive and also risk violating the constitutional principle of separation of church and state. A similar argument can be made for encouraging donations to private educational institutions. Not only might the tax deduction be less intrusive than direct government spending, but private institutions sometimes approach education differently from public institutions. Competing approaches can encourage pluralism and increase innovation."

Mal Kurtz

Swansea