PEN Canada hit with political activity tax audit

In my opinion, it's not a charity unless it is run by evangelists or imams or rabbis or child-abusing priests. These political lobby groups have been getting away with murder. Time to confine tax deductions to God alone.

I suspect that Untied Church probe is mainly about KAIROS, which is actually an inter-chuch coalition. 

Meanwhile, [url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/preventing-poverty-not-a-valid-goal-for-... Canada has been told that preventing poverty is not a valid charitable purpose[/url].

6079_Smith_W wrote:

And you'd better sharpen your pencil and start writing that letter of outrage, Unionist. The United Church is on the list of those being audited for their political activity:

http://cponline.thecanadianpress.com/graphics/2014/cra-audit-charities/i...

I have praised the United Church over and over on this board through the years when it serves progressive causes. Likewise with Mennonites and Unitarians and various branches of Judaism.

Harper and his thugs have no problem with religion, because they know (as I do) that religion is mind-numbing crap. Their problem is when the religious folks stray into doing good things for humanity.

That's why Harper will never bother the Catholic Church. He knows pure evil when he sees it.

 

Disgusting.

I'm counting the days to the next election...Enough with this fuckin' bullshit.

Small victories but I'll gladly take them.

The Kafkaesque attacks on what Cons perceive to be leftwing charities with the latest attack on a registered charity - Oxfam. The following articles notes that 52 groups are undergoing audits, with many of them having criticized the Harper government. Many of these are environmetal groups. 

 

Quote:

The Canada Revenue Agency has told a well-known charity that it can no longer try to prevent poverty around the world if it wants to keep its charitable status for tax purposes. It can only alleviate poverty — because preventing poverty might benefit people who are not already poor. ...

The bizarre bureaucratic brawl over a mission statement is yet more evidence of deteriorating relations between the Harper government and some parts of Canada's charitable sector. ... 

Ottawa-based Oxfam initially submitted wording that its purpose as a charity is "to prevent and relieve poverty, vulnerability and suffering by improving the conditions of individuals whose lives, livelihood, security or well-being are at risk." ...

Oxfam Canada director Robert Fox describes the exchange he had with Canada Revenue Agency officials over the group's mission statement as 'absurd'. 

'Preventing poverty' not an acceptable goal: CRA ...

Agency officials informed Oxfam that "preventing poverty" was not an acceptable goal.

"Relieving poverty is charitable, but preventing it is not," the group was warned. "Preventing poverty could mean providing for a class of beneficiaries that are not poor."

Oxfam Canada's executive director called the exchange an "absurd conversation." "Their interpretation was that preventing poverty may or may not involve poor people," Robert Fox said in an interview with The Canadian Press. "A group of millionaires could get together to prevent their poverty, and that would not be deemed a charitable purpose."

Risk of poverty not the same as 'actually being in need'

The Canada Revenue Agency prevailed, and the official declaration to Industry Canada about the purposes of the non-profit corporation dropped any reference to preventing poverty.

"Our mission statement still indicates we're committed to ending poverty, but our charitable (purposes) do not use the word 'end' or 'prevent' — they use the word 'alleviate."'

Philippe Brideau, spokesman for the Canada Revenue Agency, declined to provide information on the disagreement with Oxfam, saying "we do not comment on specific cases."

However, he said legal precedents mean charities cannot help people not already impoverished from falling into poverty.

"Purposes that relieve poverty are charitable because they provide relief only to eligible beneficiaries, those in need," Brideau said in an email.

"However, the courts have not found the risk of poverty as being equivalent to actually being in need. Therefore, as the courts have indicated, an organization cannot be registered with the explicit purpose of preventing poverty."

He added that charities are still allowed to teach money management, budgeting and other life skills, which could lead to the prevention of poverty.

Oxfam Canada was singled out for criticism earlier this year by Employment Minister Jason Kenney over the group's opposition to Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

And in July last year, Oxfam Canada signed a joint letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, taking issue with reports that government officials had been asked to compile "friend and enemy stakeholder" lists to brief new ministers after the summer cabinet shuffle.

52 groups currently undergoing audits

The contretemps is yet more evidence of frosty relations between the Harper government and some charities, several dozen of which have been targeted since 2012 for audits of their "political activities."

The Canada Revenue Agency, armed with $13 million in special funding, is currently auditing some 52 groups, many of whom have criticized the Harper government's programs and policies, especially on the environment.

The list includes Amnesty International Canada, the David Suzuki Foundation, Canada Without Poverty, and the United Church of Canada's Kairos charity. PEN Canada, a Toronto charity that advocates for freedom of speech, joined the ranks of the audited just this week. ...

Charities have said the CRA campaign is draining them of cash and resources, creating a so-called "advocacy chill" as they self-censor to avoid aggravating auditors or attracting fresh audits.

Auditors have the power to strip a charity of its registration, and therefore its ability to issue income-tax receipts, potentially drying up donations.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/preventing-poverty-not-a-valid-goal-for-...

 

Debater wrote:

This week's new Forum poll shows that Harper may be getting harmed by the latest Duffy Scandal, so hopefully his numbers will remain down until the next election.

As you well know, Forum polls are worthless. Maybe you could show some basic respect for reliable information and stop posting them? Oh right, I forgot who I was talking to.

alan smithee wrote:

The latest from the cuntservative government.

http://montreal.ctvnews.ca/harper-government-erases-therese-casgrain-fro...

Alan, you don't get to use the word "cunt" in any way, shape or form. Period.

alan smithee wrote:

MegB wrote:

alan smithee wrote:

The latest from the cuntservative government.

http://montreal.ctvnews.ca/harper-government-erases-therese-casgrain-fro...

Alan, you don't get to use the word "cunt" in any way, shape or form. Period.

Sorry..Can I refer to them as pricks?

"Asshole" has always worked for me. Everyone's got one.

They sure as shit do.

Not so much ironic but inevitable. It's how they roll.

Unionist wrote:

[url=http://www.macleans.ca/politics/ottawa/foreign-aid-charity-struggles-wit... charity struggles with onerous CRA demands: NGO forced to translate reams of documents[/url]

Quote:

A small Vancouver charity that helps the poor in Latin America has survived an audit of its political activities but is now struggling with fresh demands from the Canada Revenue Agency.

CoDevelopment Canada Association — known as CoDev — faces the crippling prospect of translating every scrap of paper it receives from 17 partners in El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras and elsewhere from Spanish into either English or French. [...]

Many of the charities under audit have been critics of government policy, including CoDev, a trade union-funded group that has raised questions about Canada’s free-trade deal with Colombia, among other issues.

Please join me and become a Partner in Solidarity.  This little organization has been lending a helping hand to grassroots groups in Latin America for many years. Given this attack I think I will have to make my monthly contribution larger.

If this is not an organization that babblers can support (if they have the means) then what is?

Quote:

Latin American Partners

CoDev works in three different program areas with women’s organizations, unions and community-based groups that have a vision of sustainable development and a focus on empowerment of their membership and civil society generally.

Take a look at our map to see where CoDev’s partners are doing incredible work.

Coming soon. We are preparing fact sheets for each of our Latin American partners and the work we do with them.  Check back in the spring for these useful and informative documents!

Please note: Hyperlinks on partner names will take you to their websites, which are predominantly in Spanish.

Education Rights: Building Solidarity for Public Education

FECODE (Colombian Educators’ Federation) became a CoDev partner in 2010. Along with Canadian Partners (BCTF, CSQ and OSSTF) CoDev supports FECODE’s work doing development of democratic education in Colombia through the Alternative Education and Pedagogical Project (PEPA).“The Project with CoDevelopment Canada has helped us a great deal, through this relationship we have obtained economic cooperation that has enabled us to grow, to train ourselves in the different themes related to gender issues and analysis. We have learned to resolve our problems ourselves and we have grown significantly as female leaders at the different levels of the union – national, provincial and municipal. We have had an impact in our own union and in some other institutions.” Gloria Aguirre, Gender Equity Secretary, CGTEN-ANDEN, Nicaragua

FOMCA (Federation of Central American Teachers’ Organizations) has been a CoDev partner since 1997. Along with Canadian Partners (ATA, BCTF, and STA) CoDev supports the FOMCA Women Teachers Program that includes regional (Central America) and national components. National components include STEG in Guatemala, COLPROSUMAH in Honduras, CGTEN-ANDEN in Nicaragua, SEC in Costa Rica, FREP in Panama, and ANDES in El Salvador. The FOMCA regional program brings together women teacher leaders from throughout Central America for training and exchanges of experiences. Follow-up support is provided for related training at the national level for each component organization.

IDEA (Initiative for Democratic Education in the Americas) has been a CoDev partner since 1999. Along with Canadian Partner BCTF, CoDev supports IDEA’s work building an Americas-wide movement of defenders of public education armed with the research background and grassroots support needed to advance effective, democratic and universal public education systems throughout the Western Hemisphere.

SNTECD (National Union of Education, Science and Sports Workers) in Cuba has been a CoDev partner since 1997. Along with Canadian Partner (BCTF) CoDev supports SNTECD’s union steward training program at the provincial, municipal and worksite levels in order to create a union that better represents the interests of members.

SUTEP (Education Workers Union of Peru) was the founding Latin American partner in 1985. Along with Canadian Partner (BCTF) CoDev supports SUTEP’s women leadership training program, which aims to increase women teachers’ roles in their union and schools, strengthen the union, and improve public education.

Human Rights: Strengthening Grassroots Community-Led Development

APSIES (Salvadoran Association for Integrated Health and Social Services) has been a CoDev partner since 1991. Along with Canadian Partners (BCGEU, BCNU, FPSE, HSA and WCDES) CoDev supports APSIES’s work strengthening health rights and women’s rights in rural communities.

Casa ArteSana in Guatemala, with whom CoDev has had a long relationship, became a partner in 2007. Along with our Canadian Partner (Hawthorne Foundation) CoDev supports Casa ArteSana’s work as a women’s collective that operates a cultural centre and café in Guatemala City and works with female prisoners in art therapy and rights training.

NOMADESC (Association for Research and Social Action) in Colombia became a CoDev partner in 2003. Along with Canadian Partners (BCGEU, CUPE-BC and CUPE-National) CoDev supports NOMADESC’s work doing human rights education and defence initiatives with unions, indigenous and Afro-descendent communities in Colombia.

SNTAP (National Union of Public Administration Workers) in Cuba has been a CoDev partner since 1996. Along with Canadian Partners (CUPE-BC and CUPE-National) CoDev supports SNTAP’s work building their democratic union.

Labour Rights: Women Maquila Workers

“CoDev’s support has been fundamental to achieving the successes we have in protecting the rights of women workers in the free trade zones. These are difficult times for everyone, for you, for us, and we believe that solidarity must be maintained to continue to promote the rights of both our countries’ most vulnerable women.” Sandra Ramos, MEC

CODEMUH (Honduran Women’s Collective) has been a CoDev partner since 1998. Along with Canadian Partners (BCGEU and HSA) CoDev supports CODEMUH’s work helping women workers defend their health rights.

MEC (Maria Elena Cuadra Movement of Employed and Unemployed Women) in Nicaragua has been a partner of CoDev’s since 1994. Along with Canadian Partners (BCGEU, CUPE-BC, CUPE-National, HEU and UNA) CoDev supports MEC’s work in the legal defense of maquila workers.

MEC Granada (Maria Elena Cuadra Movement of Employed and Unemployed Women – Granada) became a partner in 2002. Along with Canadian Partner (OGIFA) CoDev supports MEC-Granada’s work strengthening women’s rights.

The Central American Women’s Network in Solidarity with Maquila Workers (The Network) has been a partner of CoDev’s since 2002. Along with Canadian Partners (CUPE-National, FPSE, HSA, and HEU) CoDev supports The Network’s work to improve workers’ rights across Central America.

Quote:

Become a Partner in Solidarity Monthly Donor!

CoDev’s Partners in Solidarity are a vital group of committed individuals who sustain CoDev through the monthly giving program. With this consistent and stable source of funds, CoDev is able to be more proactive in meeting the needs of our partners. CoDev currently has over 120 Partners in Solidarity generating over $30,000 a year. Monthly contributions can be made through a direct deposit from your chequing account or a monthly payment on your credit card. You can cancel or change the amount of your contributions at any time and CoDev will process that change immediately. For as little as $5/month you can sign up today: print and send in our CoDev Membership/Donation Form (PDF) or give online (via Canada Helps) today to support CoDev with a monthly contribution!

http://www.codev.org/support/become-a-donor/

[url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/north-south-institute-to-close-after-fed... Institute to close after federal funding cut[/url]

Named world's best small think tank in 2012 and 2013. Now latest victim of Harper government's war on civil society.

I just got a letter about my political donation from last year. WTF did it take 6 months after my return? While I adjust my tin foil hat. I find it strange that I have never had any thing about my politcial donations, yet this past years were we found out they are targeting leftish groups with audits, why does this seem odd.

http://rabble.ca/news/2014/03/harper-government-attacks-non-profits-to-m...