How to encourage charitable giving

A reader's letter by a quangocrat in today's FT signs off with this:

If the current government has decided that it wants to lessen this [subsidy], it will result in a massive loss of funding for charities, at a time when many of them are already struggling to survive. Fashions in philanthropy may change, but people’s desire to give to causes they believe in will never go away and the government must continue to support this.

John Low, Chief Executive, Charities Aid Foundation*

Twat.

You might as well say "people's desire to have sex will never go away and the government must continue to support this" or "people's desire to play golf/collect stamps/race pigeons will never go away and the government must continue to support this". If the desire isn't going to go away, by definition, there is no need for the taxpayer to subsidise it.

* The CAF appears to be a glorified book-keeping service/clearing house for charitable donations which are forwarded on to the actual intended charities. Note 6 on page 43 of their 2011 accounts makes for interesting reading.

The number of staff whose total emoluments (salary plus benefits excluding pensions contributions exceeded £60,000 during the year is as follows:
...
£100,001 - £110,000 - 1
£110,001 - £120,000 - 1
£120,001 - £130,000 - 2
£140,001 - £150,000 - 1