November 27, 2008 | Read Time: 1 minute
Members of the nonprofit world are weighing how to ask for more federal money from Congress and the White House in 2009. Specifically, Independent Sector has drafted a set of priorities for the next president and Congress that includes asking for higher taxes, with the goal of allowing the federal government to provide money directly to nonprofit organizations and social services that poor people depend on, such as food stamps and health care for low-wage earners.
The increase is needed, the group says, because demand for charitable services is rising due to the poor economy, and at current tax rates, less money is coming into government coffers because of the financial slowdown. But the choice to ask for higher taxes remains controversial among nonprofit groups and donors.
“As essential as government revenues are to the work of so many in this community, taxation and fiscal policy are not something on which the nonprofit sector has had a collective, vocal position,” said Diana Aviv, president of Independent Sector, which held its annual meeting this month in Philadelphia.
While Ms. Aviv and others at the conference urged members to speak up in favor of higher taxes, some of the meeting’s participants were reluctant.
William C. Daroff, vice president for public policy at United Jewish Communities, said his donors support the organization for the work it does, not “because of specific policy positions they feel are outside or beyond the scope of our mission.”
“There are many ways to increase revenue, and many of our key stakeholders would prefer that we not take out the Tax Code and decide who the winners and losers are,” he said.
