You should not get a tax break for buying naming rights

That is what Malcolm Gladwell proposes. He wrote:

“You can donate the money and get the corresponding tax deduction. But if you chose to exercise the tax deduction for that gift, you cannot have the building named after you. Or you can donate the money for a new building and put your name on it, but in that case you cannot exercise the charitable tax deduction.”

I like this idea. Obviously he’s mainly talking about the Sacklers. He might just as well be talking about the Kinders, the Moodys, the Sarofims and many other rich guys. Naming rights turn out to be unusually cheap. They shouldn’t get a tax break on top of it.