By Joel H. Cohen
NEW YORK — Major Jewish philanthropies are among those at risk in President Trump’s plan to remove the tax-exempt status for charitable organizations.
Along with charities of every religious and ethnic background, including disease-fighting organizations, such Jewish entities as United Jewish Appeal, Hadassah, B’nai B’rith, Magen David Adom, and various federations and food pantries are among targets of the plan.
Apparently emboldened by what he mistakenly considers his success getting NATO nations to increase their defense contributions (he claimed the 2 percent of gross domestic product assessment figure is a mandate, but it is only a goal), he decided he’d apply the same approach to charities.
“For too long, the poor, the hungry, the lonely have been profiting at the expense of the rest of us,” Trump declared. “Many people have said that to me.”
In addressing organization delegates attending the secret meeting that was designed to test the planned removal of tax exemptions, he said the United States was losing “billions of dollars in tax revenue annually” because philanthropies don’t pay Federal taxes. “Trust me, it’s very unfair to loyal Americans who do pay taxes.”
He continued, “Some of the people who benefit aren’t citizens, and there are even some who don’t live in the United States.”
Trump would also remove the tax deductions of contributors to charities. Some of the representatives of philanthropies attending the meeting pointed out that their fund-raising would be severely diminished if donors’ tax deductions were removed.
Trump replied: “Whenever I give my exceedingly generous contributions to charities, much more than anyone can imagine, I’m not concerned about how much tax money I’ll save, but just about doing the good deed. Shame on those who give money based on what it does for their tax burden.”
When reminded that many nations give tax breaks to charities and donors, among them Canada and New Zealand, Trump commented, “Weak, failing countries.”
And when one delegate said, “But think what this will do to the millions of people helped by philanthropies like ours – the poor, the handicapped, war veterans,” Trump replied, “It’s unfair that they don’t carry their fair share, like real Americans do.
“Besides,” he continued, “it’s character-building for them to pay their own way. I’m sure the fake news media will have a ball with this – ‘Trump is cruel, Trump is mean to widows and orphan,. nasty to the sick and handicapped. Boohoo.’
“But it’s the opposite. I’m giving all these people a chance to feel proud about paying their own way. As I always told my boys growing up, ‘Never depend on anybody else to pay your way – well maybe a bank loan that you don’t exactly pay back – but, generally, lift yourself up by your own bootstraps.’”
Present at the meeting were appointees charged with financial elements of the Federal government, including the Treasury Secretary and Budget Director. “We had a very thorough discussion,Trump said, “and then each one completely agreed with me.”
The plan will not be unveiled until after the mid-term elections this November. It may need an act of Congress to be implemented, or the president might try to muscle it through by way of an executive order. “We’ll see,” he said.
“In a way,” he commented, “charities and their tax exemptions are a foe of the U.S. government. Frankly, the taxes they don’t pay could bankroll many, many important things, including a magnificent wall between the U.S. and Mexico.
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Readers who are new to freelance writer Joel Cohen’s “Just Kidding” columns are advised that they are satirical and should not be taken seriously.