[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 19]
[House]
[Page 26054]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           CHARITABLE GIVING

  (Mr. BILIRAKIS asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the unwise 
proposal made by the White House earlier this year to lower the tax 
deduction for charitable giving. Independent studies have concluded 
this proposal could result in a drop of as much as $4 billion in 
charitable donations.
  Charities in the Tampa Bay area have recently indicated the threat of 
this proposal becoming law has already contributed to a sharp decline 
in donations, forcing some of them to shut their doors down.
  Every year, Americans give hundreds of billions of dollars to 
charity. In turn, they provide funding to shelters, food banks, health 
care clinics, and a host of other charitable programs which benefit the 
needy. During this recession, their services are needed more than ever. 
Limiting charitable contributions is the wrong course of action and 
will end up hurting those who need it the most, particularly as we 
approach the holidays.

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