If a post is removed then so is any merit awarded (I think some users are deleting posts to hide evidence of abuse).
You can't hide evidence by deleting posts.
We still know who you sent it to and how many you sent - we just don't know the content of the post.
Example:
https://bpip.org/smerit.aspx?to=PavelRostovIt says "Deleted Post" for each post that has been removed.
You can. People can merit shit posts or a copy and pastes. What happens if someone gives a large merit to a deleted post? We can't see the content whether it was deserved or not. Most times it probably wont be. Huge loophole in my opinion.