Romney’s charitable donations?

I apologizes if this has been discussed, but I have searched ATS and the web and the only reference I see is to the LDS church and The Tyler Charitable Foundation, which is controlled by the Romney's.
When I can, I donate to varies organizations such as the red cross and to my church, its not a tithing but a donation, my question since this is such a major part of the conversation can any one tell me where Romney has donated to, because if all his donations have been to LDS, is this not a conflict of interest because a tithing is not a donation but a mandatory contribution and the reason I say this is because some thing that occurred to me 4 years ago.
I made a large donation to my church for repairs and the priest gave me a tax receipt that was larger than the contribution.

When guys like this give to charity I bet it is rarely to do a good deed. I mean if you are a multi millionaire and you give half of your earnings to charity then you would be a good person but when its just a small percentage for pr or tax breaks then it is for purely selfish reasons.

reply to post by lewman



What ever reason dose not matter, my contribution was because of my wife and the perception she wanted the community have, to each there own, my question is which organization have benefited from the Romney's besides LDS.

Since when is Charity not a good thing?

reply to post by endtimesprophet


When you are taking far more than you give.

reply to post by cmaracing


Of course he donates to a charity he controls, he has to launder his money somehow doesn't he?

I remember quite clearly Obama gave about 2% of his income to charity before becoming president, which is about average across the US

I would have liked to see Romney give money to an environmental charity.... at least a few bucks

reply to post by lewman


That's my point when you have a relationship with lets say your church they tend to make your contribution larger than it is, unlike lets say the Red Cross and other independent organisations.
Personal contact with a religious organisation opens many doors such as schools or political contacts.

My question still stands, with out politics being involved can any one tell me where the Romney's donated to with out LDS connection.

Originally posted by lewman
When guys like this give to charity I bet it is rarely to do a good deed. I mean if you are a multi millionaire and you give half of your earnings to charity then you would be a good person but when its just a small percentage for pr or tax breaks then it is for purely selfish reasons.

Wow, bashing people for giving money away to charity??? Are we really going there? I suppose it's alright for Warren Buffet and Bill Gates to do it but not an EVIL REPUBLICAN, right?

What exactly could Romney do that would make you ok with his wealth? Maybe he should be like Joe Biden.

Biden’s return shows $379,178 in adjusted gross income, along with $30,019 in mortgage interest and $5,350 in donations. He’s spending five bucks in interest for every dollar in charity. A more typical ratio for families at that income level is 2-to-1.

Source For those of you not inclined to do the math, that's a 1.41% Charitable giving rate.

For an average U.S. return at the $379,000 income level, mortgage interest comes to $21,960 and charitable donations to $9,520.

reply to post by pavil


First off my question is not bashing anyone if you noticed with out politics involved and also i implicated myself for a donation that was done for selfish reasons and also not aboveboard.... can you answer the question?

reply to post by cmaracing


Why is the donation to his church a selfish one? Just asking? Does it matter to whom he gives his money? Is he bad that he donates to a an organization and takes a deduction that he is legally entitled to? The Tyler Foundation looks like it donates most of it's money to Mormon interests but also donates some to other groups. What is the big deal about it? I really don't have issues with anyone from any political spectrum that donates money to causes they believe in.

If the IRS were to question the level of donation, Romney would have to provide the info to prove his donation. Churches really shouldn't be inflating donations by it's flock.....pretty stupid thing to do in the long run for the church.

reply to post by pavil


Pavil with all due respect I belong to a large Portuges catholic community and like many of my Italian and Irish friends in Mass our church makes our large contributions larger than they are for tax reasons, all I'm saying when you have a personal relationship that 5000 turns to 8000 and so on and I'm not the only one, it goes on all throughout the U.S.

reply to post by cmaracing


With all due respect back. I work in the tax field. A institution doing that would run the risk of losing it's non profit status.... it's not worth the risk to them. The Churches and other non profits I know keep meticulous records of who and what they donated in regards to cash contributions.

If they didn't, the IRS would be all over their books in a heartbeat. I don't think it happens to the extent you think and surely not with major donations. It's an obvious thing for the IRS to look at.

reply to post by pavil



Have you ever taken a donation receipt on a car or furniture donated, if so, did you put the realistic value, it goes on every ware but OK I see, your observation is that a donation that is mandatory such as a tithing or a donation to an organisation that you control is above reproach than i think you are just being argumentative, any government oversight is based on information given if a group say so than it must be taken at full value, churches do this because they know you will continue to make large contributions with little in return. The IRS understands that there is some over valuing a donation lets say 2% , on large donations such as homes, paintings and even cash it goes on everywhere....



Just one question can any one pleas show where Romeny's donations went to.......