Thursday 19 June 2008
Donations to religious organisations could increase if they lose their charitable status, according to a group whose members support ethical living without religion.
Chief executive of the British Humanist Association (BHA) Hanne Stinson, agreed that losing charity tax breaks would affect religious organisations’ incomes, but to worshippers it might not make a difference and could even mean those angry at the loss will donate more.
Her comments come after a parliamentary select committee hearing on how to judge if a religious organisation provides “public benefit”, a legal condition that since April 1 must be proven to maintain charitable status.
Ms Stinson said: “Until recently it has been taken for granted [by law] that religion will be beneficial to the public. [But] in the process of advancing religion, are they actually doing things that are harmful to people?” She cited preaching homophobia as an example.
Francis Davis from the Von Hügel catholic research Institute at St Edmunds College Cambridge said: “I don’t think there’s any risk at the moment of churches loosing their charitable status.”
However, he added that losing the legal backing for religion being publicly beneficial, could make it easier for someone to pull charitable status away in future. The Institute released a report last week criticising the government of underestimating the role Christianity played in public life, particularly in the voluntary sector.
The Donkey Sanctuary: seeing is believing
VIDEO: The Donkey Sanctuary got over £20m in donations in 2007. Kyriaki Karadelis went to Devon to find out why
Giving money for nothing is 'old fashioned'
AUDIO: If it's not obvious to donors how their money will be spent, you can't expect them to give you any
'Government gets a good deal from charities'
AUDIO: Body Positive Dorset supports HIV and AIDs sufferers. The charity relies on the government, but their funding's been cut
Providing public services: what the donors don't know
Charities are increasingly being financed by the Government in return for providing public services
The man who keeps 'chuggers' in check
Kyriaki Karadelis catches up with Mick Aldridge from the association that regulates face to face fundraising
Trust me, I'm a charity
The UK’s foremost reason for lacking trust in charities is not knowing where the money’s going, but whether that’s stopped us from giving to them is another matter
Charities 'held together by sticky back plastic'
The UK is concerned about how much charities are spending on administration, but "it's a poor way of judging a charity's effectiveness"
Hair-raising fundraising
Some fundraising practices are unpopular with the general public – not always unpopular enough to warrant making a complaint, but perhaps enough to stop them giving in protestOther stories
It's early days yet, but self-regulation is working for fundraising charities, a spokesperson from the Fundraising Standards Board (FRSB) has said.
Charities that get a lot of money from bequests will feel the blow of falling house prices, according to the director of a legacy market research project.
The umbrella organisation representing 13 UK aid agencies has warned it’s too early to say if the credit crunch has impacted on charity donations.