Equity and Trust Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Equity and Trust - Research Proposal Example Although cash contributions are generally found to be price elastic, property contributions are price elastic only for high-income taxpayers. These results suggest that the current tax-favored status for donations of appreciated assets by taxpayers other than the wealthy should be reassessed. These findings are also important when considering alternative tax system proposals, such as the flat tax which does not permit a deduction for charitable contributions. It is not only the charitable status of private schools and hospitals that are threatened by the provisions of the draft Charities Bill. The removal of the legal presumption, which will require charities to positively prove the benefits delivered to the public, will challenge the charity status of many faith-based organizations as well. The legal presumption in this case and many others is no... Rather it is a necessary device to protect those charities that deliver indirect benefits not subject to the rude gaze of public scrutiny. To combat harmful discrimination by private tax-supported groups, society should, at a minimum, maximize the use of all currently existing legal tools. One such tool used by the federal government against private groups (whether tax-supported or not) is the conditioning, under civil rights laws, of the receipt of federal financial assistance (FFA) on the recipient's agreement not to discriminate. However, these civil rights laws have not been interpreted broadly enough to apply to private, tax-supported organizations based solely on their receipt of tax benefits.