To the Editor:
Re “The Rising Power of Philanthropy” (Op-Ed, June 20):
David Callahan is right that philanthropy can make a big difference in tackling stubborn social problems, and that this philanthropic boom should be viewed cautiously and with appropriate skepticism. But there’s another important piece to this.
Congress is considering tax reforms that could affect charitable giving, and not in a positive way. The high-end charitable giving that Mr. Callahan describes — much of it positive — is surely motivated in part by a desire to avoid estate taxes, which affect only one of every 500 estates.
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