VOTE TO REVOKE UK CHARITY STATUS OF JW CHARITIES! URGENT!

by Blablaman 82 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  Skbj

  You actually only need to be a UK resident without citizenship or a brit citizen living abroad also fine. I lived in UK for 13 years without being a citizen and signed lots of petitions for other matters without problems. As long as you put down a real address and post code it's cool.

  To be honest the actual reasons are really not strong for this petition, it just sounds like a rant. Don't get me wrong I'll be happy if JW gets revoked their status, but what I'm saying the petitioner should have put better reasons who would interest also non-JW. There are many non-JW who dislike the WT but the 3 reasons written are just of interest to ex-JW who are possibly bitter to what happen to them, a non-JW when reading it would be like...couldn't care less, this organization isn't affecting me only those silly buggers who got involved with it.

  Better reasons would be stuff like the organization doesn't actually do shit for the community like homeless people, or environment, if there's a natural disaster they don't have funds or plans that helps the community etc etc, those type reasons (explained in more details than what I wrote of course) would tickle more the interest of non-JW which lets be frank are the vast majority.
• 

  Blablaman

  Earnest

  Correct me if I'm wrong; the JW charity is in receipt of congregational funds and legacy payments. They are all 'gifts'. I am talking specifically about financial gifts that are made to charities. As a result, the charity then receives a 20% tax relief payment that ends up in the JW/WT coffers.

  Taken from;

  http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/individuals/giving/gift-aid.htm

  How Gift Aid works

  The Gift Aid scheme is for gifts of money by individuals who pay UK tax. Gift Aid donations are regarded as having basic rate tax deducted by the donor. Charities or CASCs take your donation - which is money you've already paid tax on - and reclaim the basic rate tax from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) on its 'gross' equivalent - the amount before basic rate tax was deducted.

  Basic rate tax is 20 per cent, so this means that if you give £10 using Gift Aid, it’s worth £12.50 to the charity. For donations between 6 April 2008 and 5 April 2011 the charity or CASC will also get a separate government supplement of three pence on every pound you give.

  How to make a donation using Gift Aid

  In order to make a Gift Aid donation you’ll need to make a Gift Aid declaration. The charity will normally ask you to complete a simple form - one form can cover every gift made to the same charity or CASC for whatever period you choose, and can cover gifts you have already made and/or gifts you may make in the future.

  A Gift Aid declaration must include:

  • your full name
  • your home address
  • the name of the charity
  • details of your donation, and it should say that it's a Gift Aid donation
• 

  Earnest

  Blablaman,

  The explanation about how Gift Aid works which you have provided above is exactly what I have been trying to explain to you. When I donate money to a charity I have the option of reducing my tax payment by 20% of the donation made. However, I also have the alternative option of paying tax on the amount that I donate and, through the Gift Aid arrangement, allow the charity to reclaim that tax which I paid instead.

  So, in the example provided, if I donate £10 to a charity I have already paid (or will pay by the end of the tax year) £2.00 tax on that £10. I note that in the example it assumes 20% of £10 is £2.50 but I think that is a mistake. Gift Aid allows me to say that the charity to which I donate the £10 can also have the tax which paid on the amount.

  I don't know anything about the "separate government supplement of three pence on every pound you give" but that has apparently been done away with since 5 April 2011.
• 

  digderidoo

  The £2.50 is not a mistake, taking into account your gross earning would be £12.50. Therefore £2.50 (tax already paid) represents 20% and £10 (net) represents 80%.

  I have had a further look into this and s3(1)(c) Charities Act 2011 defines a charitable purpose as 'the advancement of religion'. Therefore the 'public benefit' requirement can be avoided if a charity advances religion, again rendering this petition obselete.
• 

  Blablaman

  Earnest, again, there are two ways Gift Aid can be granted. However, please look at these accounts.

  http://opencharities.org/charities/1087201

  Check the full accounts listing on the right hand side. Look for "tax repayment (Gift Aid)" on page 5.

  The Congregation are in receipt of Gift Aid, as I believe all other congregations are.

  Earnest, please tell me and everybody else who you think pays the Gift Aid money that is show as a "tax repayment (Gift Aid)"? As I understand, this is money from the UK Treasury.
• 

  Blablaman

  Some interesting documents on the ongoing attempt to define what a “religion” is. They say rights that the same for all...Apparently, not if you want to be a charity. This really is a bag of worms.

  http://en.center-religiousfreedom.org/art.php?id=157

  http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1754198

  http://www.strasbourgconsortium.org/

  http://www.thehightide.com/1/post/2012/09/how-will-the-eu-court-of-human-rights-define-religious-freedom.html

  http://humanistfederation.eu/the-european-convention-on-human-rights-2/
• 

  Earnest

  Blablaman, I cannot explain Gift Aid more simply than I have.

  The accounts of The HARROGATE GRANBY Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses, to which you refer, show that the amount the congregation had contributed under the Gift Aid arrangement was £4810.90. As this amount had been contributed under the Gift Aid arrangement there was a tax repayment on that amount of £1418.64. Add up the two amounts and you get a gross amount of £6229.64 (thanks, didgeridoo). The tax repayment (of £1418.64) on the gross amount is 22.8%. We would expect it to be 20% but the small difference can probably be attributed to one or more of the taxpayers paying (and, therefore, contributing) 40% tax on their contributions.

  That money (£1418.64) comes from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) and is the tax paid by those who contributed £4810.90 under the Gift Aid arrangement. It is their tax which has been repaid. Not yours. Not mine. Only theirs, and they chose to have it repaid to the congregation.
• 

  Phizzy

  Don't worry about how the system works, just effin VOTE !
• 

  cedars

  Phizzy

  Don't worry about how the system works, just effin VOTE !

  Rather curiously, Digderidoo seems more opposed to this petition than the Society itself!! If it's so flawed, nothing's stopping him from posting his own petition and providing the link on here for us to vote on it. In fact, any UK resident can start a petition. There isn't a limit on how many petitions you can post against the charitable status of the Watchtower Society and its many arms. Posting a petition that you understand to be correct is certainly more productive than going on a crusade against someone else's petition and endlessly picking holes in it.

  So Phizzy's advice is excellent. Stop whinging and get voting!

  Cedars
• 

  digderidoo

  Cedars ... I actually have more than a passing interest in Trusts Law of which Charitable Trusts are part. There is one thing stopping me from posting my own petition as it would have to be worded something along the lines of ...

  "We hereby petition for the charitable status of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society to be revoked. We believe the work of the Society does not serve the purpose of 'the advancement of religion' (of course we all know it does) under the Charities Act 2011."

  As the WTBTS of Britain does advance religion (according to the law) starting my own petition would be futile and a waste of everyones time.

  So yes let's all follow Phizzy's advice and vote for ...

  "We hereby petition the charitable status of Jehovahs Witnesses (even though it doesn't have one). We believe the work of Jehovahs Witnesses does not serve the public benefit (even though advancing a religion does according to legislation), and is entirely self serving. We also ask the Charity Commission should take greater care in ensuring that all charitable organisations serve in the public benefit, according to the Charities Act 2006 (even though the Charities Act 2006 no longer applies to the public benefit criteria)."

  If you're going to propose this sort of motion to Parliament at least get the facts correct.