by highdose 15 Replies latest jw friends
If so I think all us Brits here should be writing letters stating why JW's do not benefit the public.
I don't know of any example where JWs have benefitted 'Society' or individuals. In addition to flogging WT literature, what else are they renowned for? I'm up for writing to the Charities Commission.
In WT speak, maybe the word 'charity' has a different meaning to the dictionary - you know, just as 'generation' does.
I don't know what they do there but here for a small donation they give magazines to the poor. How nice is that?
Charitable Trusts like all trusts are basically ways of sheltering organisations from tax, and religions are one a number of groups within charitable law accorded charitable trust status, and it is a rebuttable presumption that they therefore perform charitable acts. Until quite recently the Charities Commission has been relatively inactive in investigating a religious group once it registers as such, this seems to be changing a little. It is though a religious and political minefield, so do not expect rapid movement in this direction.
That being said, as most of us know the wts do very little, if any, works that can in any way, shape or form that could be construed to be charitable. The wts is vulnerable in this area in The UK. We all know that the reason they claim trust status is to lower their taxes and reclaim them too.
David
http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/beliefs/151261/1/UK-Charity-Law-Changes
The key thing for religious charities will be prove a public benefit. Of course the devil is in the detail and the definition of 'public' and 'benefit' will be the subject of much discussion.
The Commission are already on record as saying that members of a religion cannot be the object of a 'public' benefit, and that recruitment of new members cannot be used as evidence of public benefit either.
Hopefully the coming years will make the WTS and similar organisations subject to increased scrutiny in return for their ill-gotten tax rebates.
It is my understanding that the Charities Commission is not able to justify a proper investigation unless sufficient complaints are received , so it is vital that as many of us as possible write to them.
You can E-mail on: [email protected]
The Soc. is registered as : The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Britain.
The reg. no is : 1077961
Go for it folks !
Wobble
