Why Congress Should Let Everyone Deduct Charitable Gifts From Their Taxes

By Patrick Rooney, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis

The 30 percent of American taxpayers who itemize their returns are free to deduct every dollar they donate to an IRS-approved charity from up to half of their taxable income. While neither the White House nor lawmakers are trying to scrap the charitable deduction, which is nearly as old as the income tax and marks its 100th anniversary this year, some of the changes to the tax code that are in the works could discourage charitable giving as an unintended consequence.