When the Canadian income tax system underwent a major reform between
1987 and 1988, one of the changes affected how charitable donations are treated
by the Income Tax Act. Prior to 1988, an individual could deduct amounts made
as contributions to registered charities in arriving at taxable income (subject to
certain limits). This gave the economic effect that the cost of the donation to the
taxpayer depended on his marginal tax rate. The after-tax cost of a charitable
donation for a taxpayer who was in the lowest tax bracket was greater than that for
a taxpayer in the highest tax bracket. After 1987, an individual received a tax credit
for charitable donations (again, subject to the same limits). The tax credit was
based on the lowest federal tax rate for the first $250 of donations and at the highest
federal tax rate for the balance. This resulted in the cost of making charitable
donations being the same for all taxpayers, regardless of the individual’s marginal
tax rate.