Would you like to see charitable tax credits increased?

[T]he great majority of Canadians donated very little or nothing throughout the year. A small fraction of the population, ten percent, is responsible for contributing the lion’s share, nearly two-thirds, of all charitable donations. Within the group of those who chose to make one or more charitable donations during 2007, half of the donors contributed less than $120 in annual giving. For individuals with incomes over $100,000, the median amount donated over twelve months was $210.

- Excerpted from a CARDUS letter to Parliament

I'm a little shocked that the amounts donated are so low. There's a campaign going on to increase the Canadian Federal Charitable Tax Credit from 29% - 42% - more details available here - that aims to increase this.

Personally I think that it's a bad idea to increase these tax credits, and I'd actually like to see them scrapped entirely. I'm not a big fan of the government spending other people's money for those causes you may support and your money for causes that you may not support.

Should a Christian be forced to fund their local mosque? Should a Muslim be forced to fund Sikh temples? Should an atheist be forced to fund a Christian church? It might make it easier for some worthwhile causes to get donations coming in, but it would also increase the funding to some undesirable causes - e.g. the Canadian Federation for Sexual Health (what Planned Parenthood renamed its Canadian division to a few years back).

The CARDUS letter notes that ten percent of the population is responsible to contributing 2/3 of all charitable donations. Is it that much different than the proportion of taxes paid by the richest 10% of the population - they pay a majority of Canadian federal taxes.

HT: Arnold