Trump Tax Proposal Could Threaten Libraries

For library advocates, the everlasting battle for support on Capitol Hill has entered a new and dangerous phase with introduction of President Trump’s tax cut proposal this week. After staving off Trump’s budget proposal to eliminate all federal library funding [2], the GOP's bid to “simplify” the tax code could have a more serious, and systemic effect on libraries. In a release this week, the National Council of Nonprofits warned  [3]that charitable deductions—which libraries benefit from—are likely to go down dramatically under this bill, as many middle and upper-middle-class families would no longer itemize their deductions, and thus would lose their tax deduction.

At the ALA’s National Legislative Day in May, outgoing executive director Emily Sheketoff warned librarians [4] to stay engaged with their local legislators. “If a tax bill goes through,” she said, that means less money [for libraries].”