Bair wants to know what can be done to reduce the crowds at art museums.
Callen, meet Robert
Reich:
At a time when the number of needy continues to rise, when government doesn’t
have the money to do what’s necessary for them and when America’s very rich
are richer than ever, we should revise the tax code: Focus the charitable
deduction on real charities.
If the donation goes to an institution or agency set up to help the poor,
the donor gets a full deduction. If the donation goes somewhere else — to
an art palace, a university, a symphony or any other nonprofit — the donor
gets to deduct only half of the contribution.
Enact this law, and watch the MoMA money-spigot get reduced to a trickle. Given
that it’s the richest museums which get the most visitors, this reduction in
income should result in a concomitant reduction in visitors, no?