Join the Debate Over President Obama’s Charitable-Deduction Proposal

Followers of The Chronicle’s Twitter feed are weighing in on President Obama’s comments last night defending his proposal to limit tax breaks for charitable deductions as a way to raise money for a plan to revamp the health-care system.

President Obama told a televised news conference that the proposal, which would apply to married couples making more than $250,000 ($200,000 for individuals) starting in 2011, would not have much effect on giving and would bring more fairness to the tax code.

Some of the responses:

“I think Obama’s right. Donors give because it feels good, not because of taxes. Tax breaks don’t hurt, but it’s not the be-all.”

“In this economy any excuse not to give is bad! He may be right about fairness but it will hurt!”

“‘The most important thing I can do for charitable giving is to fix the economy.’ Amen.”

“Won’t make big difference to strategic givers with their fav orgs. More likely to decrease scattered year-end surprise giving.”

What do you think? Share your thoughts on Twitter (@philanthropy) or by clicking on the comment link below.