WASHINGTON — Charities and nonprofit organizations are worried that new limits on tax deductions for high earners will hurt donations just as charitable giving is starting to rebound from the depths of the recession.
Experts doubt the new limits on deductions will have much impact on giving, but some major nonprofit organizations fear they’re a sign that the charitable deduction is no longer sacrosanct on Capitol Hill, just as Congress is promising a broader effort later this year to overhaul the tax code.
The limits on deductions are part of the new tax law Congress passed on New Year’s Day. They reduce the value of all itemized deductions for individuals making more than $250,000 and married couples making more than $300,000. Advocates are concerned the limits will reduce the tax incentive for people to make donations to charities and nonprofits such as religious institutions, colleges and groups that help the poor.
“The charitable deduction incentive is different than any other deduction or credit in the tax code,” said Sandra Swirski, executive director of the Alliance for Charitable Reform, which lobbies on behalf of donors and private foundations. That’s because the deduction encourages people to give away income, while other deductions and credits encourage people to buy things they can then write off, she noted.
Charitable giving in the U.S. increased in 2010 and 2011, according to the latest data. But it has yet to fully return to pre-recession levels, according to data from the Giving USA Foundation and the Indiana University School of Philanthropy.
Charitable giving by individuals, foundations and corporations topped $298 billion in 2011. In 2007, it was $337 billion, in inflation-adjusted dollars.
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