Finance Minister Jim Flaherty is ready to play hardball with environmental groups that abuse their charitable status.OK, that sounds mildly encouraging, but it's long overdue. ENGOs have been abusing their charitable status for decades. The Conservatives have been in power since 2006. CRA was instructed a year ago to get a grip on the problem, and "... we're looking at it again now... "?
... "We're reviewing that. We spent some time on it last year and we're looking at it again now as I prepare the budget," Flaherty said Friday ...
... In last year's budget, the government instructed the Canada Revenue Agency to take a closer look...
C'mon, Jim, stop futzing around and just get on with it! Thanks.
If they are abusing their charitable status then they are abusing taxpayers. It's a no-brainer and right up the Conservative's alley. They don't need to pussyfoot around this one.
ReplyDeleteRight, john, you'd think this would be an easy way for the Cons to throw its base another meager bone.
ReplyDeleteI find interesting his expression of playing hardball, because the only thing necessary is to apply equally to all "charities" the same rules. If this were done if not all, at least the majority, would have their charitable tax status revoked. The existing rules forbids engaging in politics, which alone is enough to cut them off.
ReplyDeleteNot so fast, people.
ReplyDeleteSome of these charities actually are charities, so should not be cut off in an attempt to get the abusers. More importantly, the abusers are also masters of PR, propaganda and media manipulation, and the Canadian and American media, for the most part, are pretty willing purveyors of Progressivism, so will eat this stuff up. They will make the faux Senate Scandal seem like a warmup.
Right now there is only one researcher who studies these matters, and is only published in one place (the National Post), but despite the pretty sensational stuff published so far, I have seen exactly zero "investigative" follow-up from any of the legacy media.
So this has to be approached with caution, or it will have to be done during the first 100 days of the next majority government.
@Thucydides, would you please explain the problem of the CRA applying the same requirements and rules to all regardless of their cause. The major problem here is that the requirements and rules have only been selectively applied and in every case to charities representing what is considered on the Right. I recall how a Catholic charity called I believe Life International which was pro-life, had its charitable status revoked by the CRA on the grounds that being pro-life was engaging in politics. I only ask that the same treatment be granted to all.
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