• The Perils of Billionaire Philanthropy | The Nation
    https://www.thenation.com/article/philanthropy-charity-inequality-taxes

    At this year’s World Economic Forum at Davos, billionaire Michael Dell, the 25th-wealthiest man in the world, weighed in on new proposals to tax the very wealthy. Dell said he was “much more comfortable” giving through his private foundation “than giving…to the government.” He’s not the first billionaire to confuse his obligations to society and conflate charitable giving with paying taxes.

    Indeed, the discussion about solutions to most social problems are too often sidetracked by stories of beneficent billionaires and their charitable deeds. Lost in a fog of generosity is the recognition that philanthropy is not a substitute for a fair and progressive tax system and robust public investments in poverty alleviation, infrastructure, economic opportunity, and social protection.
    PUBLICITÉ

    To be sure, there is strategic philanthropy in the United States that sustains a vibrant independent sector. But that sector is in jeopardy, thanks to the increasingly top-heavy nature of philanthropy and the ways that the super-wealthy are creating a taxpayer-subsidized extension of their private wealth and power.

    Philanthropy mirrors the wealth inequality trends of society overall, with more wealth and therefore more giving clout concentrating in the hands of billionaires like Dell. Charitable giving vehicles, such as donor-advised funds, are now part of the menu of tax avoidance strategies that the ultra-rich use to stash their wealth. The risk in this increasing inequality is not only to the independence of the nonprofit sector, but also for our democracy and society as a whole.

    At its root, fixing philanthropy is vital for the future of our democracy. For every dollar a billionaire donates to charity, we the people chip in anywhere from 37 to 57 cents in the form of lost tax revenue, depending on how aggressive the donor’s tax avoidance strategies are. In other words, taxpayers effectively provide matching funds for the donation priorities of private donors, whether for a new wing of an art museum or a brand-new performing arts center at a private high school. The public interest in charity oversight rests on this partnership; if a donor doesn’t want government oversight and public accountability of their charitable giving, they should simply forgo the charitable deduction.

    As the donor base shrinks to the wealthy and affluent, the resulting philanthropy reflects the social priorities of advantaged groups. As Catholic University law professor Roger Colinvaux warns, “Philanthropy will increasingly become a self-serving vanity project for one segment of society, and less worthy in a true philanthropic sense.”

    #Philanthropie #USA

  • The Perils of Billionaire Philanthropy
    https://www.thenation.com/article/philanthropy-charity-inequality-taxes

    Lost in a fog of generosity is the recognition that philanthropy is not a substitute for a fair and progressive tax system and robust public investments in poverty alleviation, infrastructure, economic opportunity, and social protection.

    #philantropie

    • J’avais eu une grande discussion avec mon beau-frère américain qui est fundraiser, c’est-à-dire qu’il trouve des philanthropes pour les fondations, des trucs qui organisent l’optimisation fiscale sur fond de charité et qui tient lieu aux USA de système social. Pour lui, la solidarité gérée par l’État (la redistribution, donc) est de l’ordre de la dictature insupportable, car l’État est contraire à l’esprit de liberté et d’entreprise (les deux ayant l’air très entremêlés dans son esprit américain). Pour lui, le social par les fondations, c’est mieux, parce plus démocratique puisque ce sont directement les gens qui décident où va l’argent, sans boulet technocratique. Bien sûr, la discussion se crispe assez vite quand je lui fais remarquer que ce sont surtout les riches qui décident dans son système, qu’ils sont probablement très déconnectés des besoins réels sur le terrain et que ce système a déjà un nom… #ploutocratie. Et que le problème, c’est qu’ils n’agissent qu’en fonction de leurs intérêts qui, par définition, sont antagonistes à ceux du plus grand nombre, et que ça risque plutôt de ne pas très bien finir pour la majorité de la population…