We don't need no steenkeen charity

GOP death squad will cut entitlements AND charitable contributions.

At the same time, the wealthy will get a still larger share of the tax benefit, even when sacrificing a smaller share of their income.

Indeed, the few concessions by tax writers to promote charitable giving are aimed at the very high end of the income scale. The end result is a law that does more to promote gifts to pay for a grandchild’s private schooling than it does to encourage the same grandparents to go outside their family and give to the local Boys & Girls Club.

[...]

Shared sacrifice by private citizens to complement a limited government is a precious value for this nation as a participatory democracy. But what’s happened here instead is a tax bill that tears at this fabric by denying so many households an important incentive to engage and give more to their communities.

  Politico

I wouldn't call that a "precious value for this nation as a participatory democracy." That's not what participatory democracy means. Participatory democracy is precisely what we don't have. And the GOP - and to a lesser extent, the Democrats - like it that way. You could say, however, that that's a shared value by traditional Republicans, who seem to be a dying breed.

"[T]ax policy is supposed to be helping a healthy democracy — this new bill effectively limits the incentive to just the wealthy.”

If true, this is going to throw more hungry people out on the streets.

Among households in the $75,000 to $100,000 income range, the TPC’s tax model projects that just 10.2 percent will still benefit from charitable deduction under the new law — down from 27.1 percent. For those from $100,000 to $200,000, the drop is from 50.7 percent to 19.6 percent.

[...]

By comparison, among those earning over $1 million a year, more than three-quarters, or 77.6 percent, will still benefit from the charitable tax deduction and their already disproportionate share of the after-tax dollar benefit will go up.

[...]

Many households will surely continue to donate some portion of their income. But without the deduction, the economic “price” for giving goes up. And there is significant empirical evidence —outlined in a May 2017 report by the staff at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy — that that this will dampen future donations both for religious and secular groups.

[...]

Republicans counter that any such loss will be offset by the fact that families will have more cash in their pockets to contribute after the promised tax cuts. [...] “Chairman Brady believes that the biggest encourager of charitable contributions is a strong economy. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act allows people to give more of their own money to spend and contribute as they wish.”

And yet, if they can't take a charitable deduction, their taxes will in effect go up. How stupid does Chairman Brady think people are?

Chairman Brady as he slithers home: "Go suck an egg, people."

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.