This was pretty much the first thing I thought of when I heard about the 10% pledge, and I was actually surprised to see so little of this reasoning here. It’s fairly obvious that for someone on a low income, 10% is still a huge sacrifice, whereas for the wealthy, giving away 10% doesn’t change much. Even though they give much more in absolute terms, they’re still left with far more money than they actually need.
This is especially important from the perspective of the rich: with ‘only’ a 10% commitment, a lot of potential generosity goes to waste—money that could make a massive difference. But it would also help those on lower incomes, allowing them to join the pledge without it being financially draining. That said, I think the percentage should never drop to zero; psychologically, it would imply that low earners can’t or shouldn’t contribute. Not only is that untrue, but it would also feel very ‘exclusionary’ for many.
Finally, I’d say the calculation should be adjusted for the cost of living and local salaries. For instance, $39k might not be much in the US, but in many other countries—and not necessarily poor ones, like where I live—it’s actually a good salary.
This was pretty much the first thing I thought of when I heard about the 10% pledge, and I was actually surprised to see so little of this reasoning here. It’s fairly obvious that for someone on a low income, 10% is still a huge sacrifice, whereas for the wealthy, giving away 10% doesn’t change much. Even though they give much more in absolute terms, they’re still left with far more money than they actually need.
This is especially important from the perspective of the rich: with ‘only’ a 10% commitment, a lot of potential generosity goes to waste—money that could make a massive difference. But it would also help those on lower incomes, allowing them to join the pledge without it being financially draining. That said, I think the percentage should never drop to zero; psychologically, it would imply that low earners can’t or shouldn’t contribute. Not only is that untrue, but it would also feel very ‘exclusionary’ for many.
Finally, I’d say the calculation should be adjusted for the cost of living and local salaries. For instance, $39k might not be much in the US, but in many other countries—and not necessarily poor ones, like where I live—it’s actually a good salary.