The following letter was sent all members of Oklahoma’s Congressional delegation by PCCT Executive Director, Desiree Doherty.
Dear Oklahoma Delegation:
The Parent Child Center of Tulsa is a non-profit organization dedicated to prevent child abuse and neglect through education, treatment and advocacy. The work of The Parent Child Center has been ongoing since 1972 and we now reach over 27,000 parents and children annually in Tulsa and surrounding communities with at least one of our programs or services. We are an independent, nationally accredited non-profit with a commitment to performance and quality improvement. Our services are based on best practices in the field of child abuse prevention. Our outcome studies document that parents find hope, learn skills and make significant positive changes, ensuring that children are better protected and nurtured, and preventing a cycle of child abuse and neglect.
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I am writing to you today to encourage you to oppose efforts to limit the value of the charitable deduction.
The majority of our funding originates from donations from the private sector. While Tulsa is a very philanthropic community, we are deeply concerned by current proposals to cap the charitable deduction in the context of short-term deficit reduction and longer-term tax reform.
The charitable deduction is different than other itemized deductions in that it encourages individuals to invest in meeting the needs of their local community. It rewards a selfless act, and it encourages taxpayers to give more funds to charities than they would otherwise have given. In turn, fewer public dollars are needed to meet basic human needs. Data suggests that for every dollar a donor gets in tax relief for his or her donation, the public typically receives three dollars of benefit. No other tax provision generates that kind of positive public impact.
A cap on charitable deductions contradicts and undermines this impact. This particular deduction is unique and should be protected from any changes that would otherwise diminish its impact. Any proposed cap would have long-lasting negative consequences on charitable organizations such as The Parent Child Center of Tulsa upon which many Oklahomans’ rely for vital programs and services.
People give to worthwhile causes for many reasons—incentives such as tax deductions being among them. Tax incentives make more and larger gifts possible. The federal government has acknowledged this trend.
Again, I urge you to oppose proposals to limit the value of the charitable deduction.
Thank you in advance for your consideration and I am looking forward to working with you and your staff on this important issue.
