Charitable status: Difference between revisions
no, it is per country, not just "in the US" - in Canada and Australia the same rules apply. noting politics of charitable status
(...in the US) |
(no, it is per country, not just "in the US" - in Canada and Australia the same rules apply. noting politics of charitable status) |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
For a [[non-profit organization]] to have '''charitable status''' under the law means that a [[donation]] to that organization results in the issue of a [[tax receipt]] - that is, a [[receipt]] that entitles the [[donor]] to a [[tax deduction]] | For a [[non-profit organization]] to have '''charitable status''' under the law means that a [[donation]] to that organization results in the issue of a [[tax receipt]] - that is, a [[receipt]] that entitles the [[donor]] to a [[tax deduction]]. | ||
Accordingly, organizations with such '''status''' fall under much closer scrutiny than those without it. | Accordingly, organizations with such '''status''' fall under much closer scrutiny than those without it. This is reasonable because: | ||
Effectively, citizens of that jurisdiction give up a right to tax some amount on the assumption that the organization acts in their own interests. In the [[United States]] there are also complex rules about whether charities are registered per state or federally, and where they can solicit for donations and how. ''See [[alleged Wikimedia corruption]] for some standing issues on this.'' | |||
Sometimes the powers of charitable status are ab/used to reflect political biases, e.g. [[Greenpeace]] is charitable in some countries, not in others, and the difference usually depends on political forces in power in each country. | |||