I used to work for the federal government, so I know my place.
As it relates to volunteers, you're absolutely correct. There are a lot of interesting initiatives in different countries. For example, there are initiatives where volunteers can bank the hours they volunteer, and when they need it they get those benefits.
As it relates to tax benefits, they absolutely need to get some recognition. As we move into the baby boomers, we need to look at volunteers not just as a service we need. Research clearly shows that when you volunteer and have meaning, you stay healthy longer. So we're looking at the economic return on that investment and some form of recognition.
In my organization we have 10,000 volunteers. We pay their mileage and give some other awards recognizing them, because without them lots of people would have no meals or exercise programs, and so on.