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Keywords

Incentive, political contributions, small, donor

Abstract

The author begins by stating the importance of monetary contribution to a campaign and points out that most of the money for campaigns comes in the form of large donations. It then goes the introduction of campaign contributions as federal tax credits and its effects until the repeal of the tax credit by Congress. The articles then discusses state implementation of tax credits for political contribution, and compares the effects of different state programs. The article then introduces the principle that contribution incentive programs can be part of a strategy for campaign finance reform and gives several ideas how this can be done. He states that it would encourage maximum participation from small donors, should combine with additional reforms to make small contributions a central part of funding, and outlines steps to achieve that goal. The article then states benefits of a new federal tax credit, including more contributions from small donors and healthier democracy with modest costs. The article concluded by restating that political contribution incentive programs are a promising approach to increasing the voice of small donors and states several issues with this and qualifications to its success.

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