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Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., talks about charitable tax deductions at a Monday press conference at the Elm Court Center in Portland. Behind him, from left to right are four local nonprofit leaders: Max Williams, Joan Smith, Mark Langseth and Jim White.

(Jeff Mapes/The Oregonian)

As discussion of tax reform heats up on Capitol Hill, Sen. Ron Wyden appeared at a senior lunch center in downtown Portland to promote his opposition to reducing the tax break for charitable contributions.

"We believe the charitable deduction in the federal tax code is a lifeline and not a loophole," said Wyden, who appeared with four local charitable leaders at the

, which is run by Meals on Wheels People.

The Obama administration has

that high-income individuals could take. Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney also had his own proposal for limiting deductions by wealthy taxpayers and several other groups have argued that curtailing charitable deductions would help drive down overall tax rates.

So far, these proposals have gone nowhere, in large part because charitable deductions enjoy wide public support and the non-profit community has vigorously lobbied to defeat them.

Wyden's opinion in this debate matters because he is in line to chair the Senate Finance Committee after the 2014 elections if Democrats keep control of the Senate. The current chairman, Montana Democrat Max Baucus, is

and drive down tax rates but he hasn't said yet what he wants to do with charitable deductions.

Wyden argued that curtailing the tax deduction for charitable contributions would wind up reducing donations and hurt the ability of charities to help the needy.

Wyden's stance was cheered by three non-profit officials: Max Williams, who heads the Oregon Community Foundation; Jim White, executive director of the Nonprofit Association of Oregon, Joan Smith, executive director of Meals on Wheels People, and Mark Langseth, the chief executive officer of the I Have A Dream Foundation.

"Tax policy should always encourage people to give freely of their resources to make Oregon a better place," said Williams.

Wyden and Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., who is is also on the finance committee, earlier this month

saying that Americans donated more than $300 million to charitable organizations last year and that this produced more than $1.1 billion in economic activity.

-- Jeff Mapes