Alliance for Charitable Reform Interviews Robert Sharpe About the Charitable Deduction

In a new video released by the Alliance for Charitable Reform, ACR Director of Communications Marques Chavez speaks to Robert Sharpe, President of the Sharpe Group, about donor motivation, the history of philanthropy, and the implications of possible changes to the charitable deduction. Sharpe explains the importance of the philanthropic sector throughout the course of civilization and the idea of government providing a “neutral playing field” for individual philanthropy via the charitable deduction. The deduction dates to 1917, when it was envisioned not as a tax incentive for wealthy donors, but to avoid creating a disincentive for giving at a time of increasing tax rates, Sharpe says. He goes on to illustrate how harmful changes to the deduction would impact an essential demographic of donors. Watch the full video here.