The Case for For-Profit Charities

26 Pages Posted: 8 Sep 2006

See all articles by Eric A. Posner

Eric A. Posner

University of Chicago - Law School

Anup Malani

University of Chicago - Law School; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER); University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine; Resources for the Future

Date Written: September 2006

Abstract

Nonprofit firms may not distribute profits to owners but instead must retain them or reinvest them. Nonprofits that are "charitable organizations" under Section 501(c)(3) of the tax code may receive donations from individuals who are allowed to deduct their donations from their income for tax purposes. We argue that the law should not link tax benefits to corporate form in this way. There may be good arguments for recognizing the nonprofit form and good arguments for providing tax subsidies to charities or donors to charities, but there is no good argument for making those tax subsidies available only to charities that adopt the nonprofit form. Consequently, the "for-profit charity" may well be a desirable institution. Currently, no such entity exists, but the reason is surely discriminatory tax treatment; the charitable activities of many commercial firms suggest that in the absence of discriminatory tax treatment for-profit charities would flourish. Current tax benefits for charitable nonprofits should be extended to for-profit charities, and to the charitable activities of for-profit commercial firms.

Keywords: tax benefits, nonprofits

Suggested Citation

Posner, Eric A. and Malani, Anup, The Case for For-Profit Charities (September 2006). University of Chicago Law & Economics, Olin Working Paper No. 304, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=928976 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.928976

Eric A. Posner (Contact Author)

University of Chicago - Law School ( email )

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Anup Malani

University of Chicago - Law School ( email )

1111 E. 60th St.
Chicago, IL 60637
United States
773-702-9602 (Phone)
773-702-0730 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://www.law.uchicago.edu/faculty/malani/

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

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University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine

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Resources for the Future

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