United Front? Convergent and Divergent Voices in the Charitable Deduction Debate - NPQ - Nonprofit Quarterly

United Front? Convergent and Divergent Voices in the Charitable Deduction Debate - NPQ - Nonprofit Quarterly: The cavalry charge to Capitol Hill by advocates and lobbyists to protect the charitable tax deduction from congressional tinkering or elimination represents a large army of institutions and people who see the deduction as the lifeblood of the nonprofit sector. The lobbyists draw on a mammoth array of institutions that are either public charities or churches and their employees, volunteers, and contributors. If these institutions and people are mobilized and if they speak with one voice, it is all but impossible to imagine the lawmaker who will stand up on the House or Senate floor and proclaim himself the champion of reducing or eliminating the charitable tax deduction. Who would possibly have the temerity to stand up against the united onslaught of charity and philanthropy defending the charitable deduction against any and all slights, especially when backed by the $623 billion in assets of nearly 100,000 foundations recognized by the IRS?