Editor’s note: If you would like to submit a letter for possible publication, please email it to editor@rationalist.com.au. See our Publishing Guidelines.
Dear Editor,
Regarding the Productivity Commission’s report on charities and schools, I’ve just been reading Rob Reich’s book, Just Giving: Why Philanthropy Is Failing Democracy and How It Can Do Better, on philanthropic foundations.
One of the issues he discusses is whether “charity” involves transfer of wealth from the rich to the poor, and found only a small percentage of it did that. Most of it was transfer from wealthy donors to wealthy recipients favoured by the upper classes, such as private schools and art galleries and universities.
In the book, he provides a list of 15 large foundations in his home state of California, and where their money goes. Some of it funds individual wealthy schools.
Transfers from the rich to the rich does not satisfy the usual definition of ”charity”. But they all bring the same tax benefit to donors, whether they are really “charities” or just supporting wealthy institutions.
Reich recommends radical change to tax concessions for donors.
Robert Bender
God saved Donald
Dear Editor,
Trump is grazed by a bullet; someone else is killed – god saved Donald! (RSA Weekly, 16 August 2024).
Same mentality as, "I just knew I shouldn't get on that airplane, and it crashed killing 300 children, women and men. Thank god."
The stupidity of this mentality is staggering, and seems to be true fo...
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