In 1987, Wisconsin began requiring people on aid to seek or train for work. Private charities would be likely to weed out such people. Private charities, however, give two-thirds of every dollar to those who need help. By switching to private distribution, we'd cut overhead in half. In other words, we'd double the dollars available to the needy once again.
Taxes are expensive to collect.
Two-thirds of a dollar are spent to collect one dollar of taxes. If everyone in a libertarian society voluntarily gave the same amount to charity as they do today through taxes, once again we'd triple what the disadvantaged receive. Even if private charities received one-tenth of what our current welfare budgets are, the poor would still be better off than they are now. From all indications, however, each generation of Americans is more charitable than the last. In 1996, the average donation per adult was twice the inflation-adjusted average in 1970 and triple the 1950 average.