Under current law, private schools, fee-charging hospitals and food giants reap the rewards of tax relief with no obligation to donate some of their profits.

The Government is $600 million out of pocket each year as the charities sector swallows $400m through income tax exemption and $200m in tax credit refunds, yet Cabinet decided against reviewing charity law last year through “fiscal cost” fears.

Recent calls to urgently review the sector were once again quashed by Community and Voluntary Sector Minister Jo Goodhew yesterday.

Labour’s charity spokeswoman, Louisa Wall, and Christchurch charity expert Dr Michael Gousmett have slammed the lack of accountability in the multimillion-dollar, publicly subsidised sector.

Today’s regulations give tax relief to private schools, fee-charging hospitals, Ngai Tahu’s 38 limited liability companies (including Shotover Jet and Whale Watch Kaikoura) and food giant Sanitarium with no public benefit test holding them to account.

Under current law, charities are not obligated to give even $1 a year from their surplus to charitable causes.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/8688304/Flush-Kiwi-charities-failing-to-pay-out

The advertisements titled “21 great reasons to keep marriage as is” and “If you vote to change ‘marriage’ we will vote to change you” were published in the lead up to the passing of a bill legalising gay marriage last month.

A complainant said the material was offensive, inflammatory and “largely incorrect and was filled with biases”.

But the Advertising Standards Authority threw out the complaint saying the advertisements allowed for points of view and robust expression.

Another complaint against Family First’s “My Marriage Pledge” newspaper advertisements was also rejected.

“Once again, we see evidence of people who are demanding tolerance and diversity showing very little of it,” said National Director of Family First New Zealand Bob McCoskrie.

“The ASA was completely correct to send the complaints to the paper shredder.”
http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/anti-gay-marriage-ad-complaints-thrown-5441701

Complainant A Charman said that the “21 great reasons to keep marriage as is” was ‘extraordinarily offensive’, ‘inflammatory, largely incorrect and was filled with biases’. But the Advertising Standards Authority threw out the complaint saying that advertisements allowed for points of view and robust expression. There was therefore no apparent breach of Advertising Codes and therefore no grounds for the complaint to proceed.

And a complaint by activist Calum Bennachie along with an orchestrated campaign of identical complaints against the “My Marriage Pledge” newspaper adverts was also rejected as having no apparent breach of the Codes of Advertising.

“Once again, we see evidence of people who are demanding tolerance and diversity showing very little of it. Fortunately the ASA understands the need for robust and open debate,” says Bob McCoskrie, National Director of Family First NZ.

“The ASA was completely correct to send the complaints to the paper shredder.”
ENDS

IRS Targets pro-life groups
Conservative Refocus.com
The Internal Revenue Service already has confessed to targeting and  trying to injure tea party, Constitution and patriot organizations, by  demanding answers to arbitrary questions and delaying their applications  for a tax status so they could operate.

Now WND has learned that the IRS also put an organization in its  bull’s-eye that wanted to do nothing more than share its pro-life  message with churches.
http://www.conservativerefocus.com/blog5.php/2013/05/14/irs-specifies-pro-life-ministry-must-promote-abortion-in-order-to-qualify-as-charitable-institution

Billy Graham Evangelistic Assn. Targeted by IRS
Red State 17 May 2013
The man known as America’s pastor was among those targeted by the Internal Revenue Service after the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association ran newspaper advertisements promoting traditional marriage and biblical values.

“I am bringing this to your attention because I believe that someone in the Administration was targeting and attempting to intimidate us,” wrote Franklin Graham in a letter to President Obama. “This is morally wrong and unethical – indeed some would call it ‘un-American.’”

Graham is president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association as well as the international charity Samaritan’s Purse. Both organizations received word of audits on the same day – not long after they ran full –page ads supporting North Carolina’s Marriage amendment. The ads encouraged voters to “cast our ballots for candidates who base their decisions on biblical principles and support the nation of Israel.” The ad concluded with the words, “Vote for biblical values this November 6, and pray with me (Billy Graham) that America will remain one nation under God.” Graham said on Sept. 6, 2012 they received notification that the IRS would audit their taxes.“In light of what the IRS admitted to on Friday, May 10, 2013, and subsequent revelations from other sources, I do not believe that the IRS audit of our two organizations last year is a coincidence – or justifiable,” Graham wrote.
http://www.redstate.com/toddstarnes/2013/05/14/billy-graham-evangelistic-assn-targeted-by-irs/

….the Minister for Social Development, Paula Bennett, claims  the agency is operating effectively but isn’t able to stop neglect outright. “They are responding better than they ever have before,”  said Ms Bennett. “But unfortunately we have parents who are incredibly  neglectful and we get incredibly sad cases like this”.
http://www.3news.co.nz/Labour-questions-adequacy-of-CYF/tabid/423/articleID/297936/Default.aspx

….Over the past five years 17,000 children were assessed more  than once by CYF and found to be abused or neglected each time – 154 abused or  neglected children were assessed more than five times and sent back into abusive  homes. “That means CYF knowing about kids who are being abused and  then it happening again,” Ms Ardern says.
http://www.3news.co.nz/CYF-admits-losing-neglected-chlidren/tabid/1607/articleID/297926/Default.aspx

…..While I do not necessarily support all of the aims or activities of the charities denied registration, I do support a democratic discussion on charitable purposes. The Charities Commission, (which was in charge of registering and monitoring charities prior to its integration into the Department of Internal Affairs, last year) held meetings to test what Kiwis think about our definition of charitable purpose. My bill proposes that we make this an open well-resourced discussion in which all points of view are heard in a forum where groups are debating the shape of our charity law, not battling for their own registration. In my maiden speech to the house I made clear my displeasure that the National Council of Women had been denied charitable status. The NCW is a proud part of our history as a nation; a body whose advocacy created the opportunity for every woman in the Parliament. As a mother of a talented 14-year-old daughter, I believe the opportunities created by NCW are part of the fabric of New Zealand’s society. NCW won its registration through the courts, but I don’t want to see an endless stream of charities clogging our courts. The law needs fixing and it is Parliament’s job to do it – that’s what my bill is about.

Denise Roche is a Green Party MP.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10883392