I disagree. ALL churches should lose charity status.
this post was submitted on 21 Feb 2025
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In this case they aren't even saying they should lose the status because they are horrible people, it's because they haven't filed their annual returns that charities are required to file.
Unfortunately NZ has advancing religion = charity enshrined in law, and it's political suicide to touch it.
Which I think is stupid because most small town churches will still qualify under one of the other categories. Just need some party to make the change when they are already on the way out.
If they can show charitable work they can qualify as a charity and be subject to the same regime as every other charity.
Yes exactly. A charitable purpose only needs to meet the very generic criteria of being beneficial to the community (or the others, relieving poverty or advancing education).
If a church is a net positive for the community, or helps those in poverty, it would still qualify. So let's get rid of the specific religion clause and let churches prove they are a net benefit to the community.
I would even question whether "a church" as in catholic or lutheran or scientology etc should be granted charitable status. They have to show their branch in NZ to be benefitting the community. Their efforts elsewhere should not count.
For sure. As each church is an independent entity, each one should have to register and pass the criteria. I don't think granting, say, the Catholic Church as one NZ entity is the right way. Instead, each of the Catholic churches around the country should apply on their own merits. Surely some will be feeding and housing the homeless and some will be using tithes to by lamborghinis so they should be assessed individually since they have individual finances.
Amen.
Shit they are pulling the money in, I had no idea they were pulling in a couple of million in donations a year!
$2m is only $40/week from 1000 people.
Ah right, tithing. People who can't afford it being forced to give money to a millionaire or they are threatened with not going to heaven.
And I guess I didn't expect 1000 tithers but I also didn't expect there to be chapters all around the country.
I don't know what I expected really, just had a hope that it was a small and vocal crowd.