Grassley Seeks President's Support on Charitable Reform... As Administration Official’s Foundation Under Scrutiny
On Friday, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley and Ranking Member Max Baucus sent a letter to President Bush asking him to “publicly express strong support to include in the pension bill our reforms for charities, especially supporting organizations.” The letter was sent to the White House the same day an A01 Washington Post story described how Mike Leavitt, U.S. Health and Human Services secretary, and his relatives were able to claim several millions of dollars in tax write-offs through a charitable foundation created in 2000.
The letter states, “We are writing to you about ensuring that when individuals take a big charitable tax deduction, the money actually goes to benefit charities. We applaud you for your efforts to encourage charitable giving, but as we read in papers continuously across the country with headlines such as ‘HHS Secretary's Fund Gave Little to Charity,’ it is not enough to encourage charitable giving. We have to make certain that the money given actually goes to help the community and those in need.”
President Bush has been supportive of charitable giving incentives in the past, but the Administration has not really participated in the debate over Chairman Grassley’s package of reforms. However, Senate and House negotiators have recently turned their attention to tax “extenders” (e.g., research and development credit, state and local sales tax deductions) and the charitable package is once again in play. As such, Chairman Grassley needs the President’s help to rally support among fellow Republicans. House Ways & Means Chairman Bill Thomas has not yet signed-off on the charitable package and many conservatives in the House oppose it outright.
The letter states, “We are writing to you about ensuring that when individuals take a big charitable tax deduction, the money actually goes to benefit charities. We applaud you for your efforts to encourage charitable giving, but as we read in papers continuously across the country with headlines such as ‘HHS Secretary's Fund Gave Little to Charity,’ it is not enough to encourage charitable giving. We have to make certain that the money given actually goes to help the community and those in need.”
President Bush has been supportive of charitable giving incentives in the past, but the Administration has not really participated in the debate over Chairman Grassley’s package of reforms. However, Senate and House negotiators have recently turned their attention to tax “extenders” (e.g., research and development credit, state and local sales tax deductions) and the charitable package is once again in play. As such, Chairman Grassley needs the President’s help to rally support among fellow Republicans. House Ways & Means Chairman Bill Thomas has not yet signed-off on the charitable package and many conservatives in the House oppose it outright.
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