A quick thought experiment 🧵 regarding the argument, common among some on the progressive left, that wealthy people giving to charity is morally inferior to them just paying higher taxes:
Imagine a non-profit organization, funded through charitable donations, that exists to help the homeless. 90% of its budget goes to shelters, food banks, job training, mental health counseling, etc. But 10% goes to funding roving bands who beat up homeless people. (1/6)
@arossp An interesting thread. I wonder how much is framing, though. Is it about them paying *higher* taxes, or about them paying their fair share in taxes?
Does it really matter if they donate $100k to a fine charity, if they skip out on their taxes and cut their workforce to and cost millions to an unemployment system they avoid paying for?
@arossp Their fair share is what they'd pay if you remove all the nonsense workarounds and shell companies and loopholes and "unrealized gains" they use to avoid paying.
@LouisIngenthron The wealthy already pay the majority of federal income taxes. So what is their "fair share" and how do we determine if they're already paying it, paying less than it, or paying more than it?