Taxpayers are subsidizing donors who retain control of their wealth instead of sharing it through philanthropy.
You might have heard about a certain French writer who visited the United States in 1831. Alexis de Tocqueville is an all-time emigre superstar, a beloved bard, and the author ofOne of Tocqueville's favorite things about our country then is something many of us would name today: Our generosity.
Even our tax system reflects this. We can deduct big charitable contributions from our taxes, and charitable organizations are largely tax-exempt. So, we have really made philanthropy a kind of "self-tax"—often a literal substitute for taxes in general. There has never been more money earmarked for philanthropic purposes, but it lies fallow in endowments or under-regulated funds. Warehousing money during our time of crisis siphons away tax dollars for public services. Instead, some "philanthropists" fund… nothing.When you consider top-heavy philanthropy together with the fact that the richest 1 percent of Americans currently evade overowed each year, it is clear that we are falling short of Tocqueville's ideals.
Most importantly, we need to ensure that charitable giving never substitutes for robust public funding. The universal right to a fair, dignified life—quality health care, housing, education, and opportunity—shouldn't depend on voluntary generosity. It should be a public guarantee.Bella DeVaan is the Research and Editorial Assistant for Inequality.org. You can follow her on Twitter @bdevaan.
, at least when measured by charitable donations. Our plentiful GoFundMes, mutual aid groups, and even splashy charitable social media channels speak to a civic culture that both prizes and relies on philanthropic behavior.
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