God Land
(x-posted)
Is your organisation 'an establishment, organisation or association that is instituted to advance or promote religious purposes'? The Australian Tax Office wants to know. In what amounts to little more than writing blank checks to fundamentalist Christians, Australian politicans know what sort of backlash they'd face from voters if they summoned the courage to correct the situation.
In 2002, the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade investigated the issue. The gasps could have caused deviant weather systems when they concluded that:
The income foregone because of the existence of these provisions is a significant charge against tax payers, one which most have been prepared to accept. Existing provisions may also discriminate against non-religious groups and individuals that may seek to undertake comparable work. [...] Even if some of the consequential arrangements seem to be inconsistent with the basic definitions, this is a sensitive matter. The provisions apply to a range of religious, scientific, charitable or public educational institutions. It is doubtful whether any government would alter these provisions in such a way that would worsen the position of genuinely religious bodies undertaking charitable works.
While the current contenders in the political arena continue to jump over each other to advertise themselves as the country's most devout Christian, it is unlikely that we will ever see a progression from this custom of the Dark Ages.
Is your organisation 'an establishment, organisation or association that is instituted to advance or promote religious purposes'? The Australian Tax Office wants to know. In what amounts to little more than writing blank checks to fundamentalist Christians, Australian politicans know what sort of backlash they'd face from voters if they summoned the courage to correct the situation.
In 2002, the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade investigated the issue. The gasps could have caused deviant weather systems when they concluded that:
The income foregone because of the existence of these provisions is a significant charge against tax payers, one which most have been prepared to accept. Existing provisions may also discriminate against non-religious groups and individuals that may seek to undertake comparable work. [...] Even if some of the consequential arrangements seem to be inconsistent with the basic definitions, this is a sensitive matter. The provisions apply to a range of religious, scientific, charitable or public educational institutions. It is doubtful whether any government would alter these provisions in such a way that would worsen the position of genuinely religious bodies undertaking charitable works.
While the current contenders in the political arena continue to jump over each other to advertise themselves as the country's most devout Christian, it is unlikely that we will ever see a progression from this custom of the Dark Ages.