Home >> Ethics >> Compulsory Charity

Compulsory Charity

כ"ט בטבת ה'תש"ע (Friday 15 January 2010) · 4 comments

When the state tells us that we must give such-and-such a percent of our earnings to charity, in our disgust, we simply let the state confiscate those earnings and use them as it desires. That is taxation. How is it any different – how is it not taxation – if Goldman Sachs compels its employees to donate some percent of their earnings to charity? Why will they then not simply say, “Here, you can just keep whatever percent and donate it yourself?” At least that way, they will not be double-taxed by the state on the same income upon which they’d previously been taxed by the company.

No related posts.

{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }

1 Ronduck א' בשבט ה'תש"ע (January 16, 2010) at 8:54:17 am

The state is nice enough to let you deduct your giving from the amount of your taxable income. A decade ago I read Further Up the Organization by Robert Townsend and in one of his sections he stated that corporate charity is one of the more asinine things companies attempt to do. Townsend stated that it is better that the company worry about its customers and pay its employees enough that they can donate to charity themselves, if they so choose.

2 Genius א' בשבט ה'תש"ע (January 16, 2010) at 5:55:05 pm

The state is nice enough…

I love the state.

3 Ronduck א' בשבט ה'תש"ע (January 16, 2010) at 10:33:23 pm

Ok, ok, sarcasm aside corporate charity is wrong.

4 Firepower ג' באדר ה'תש"ע (February 17, 2010) at 5:31:08 pm

According to the Federal government, Goldman Sachs is a charity.

Leave a Comment

Previous post:

Next post: