VOTE TO REVOKE UK CHARITY STATUS OF JW CHARITIES! URGENT!

by Blablaman 82 Replies latest jw friends

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  Earnest

  Blablaman : The money that is paid into Jehovah Witness congregational funds never ever get paid into the UK Treasury (because they are Tax exempt, however, it is accounted for). Yet, the UK Treasury is paying OUT money to UK Jehovah's Witness Congregational Charities on the basis there has been money "donated to the given charities".That is not their money, it's ours, all of ours.

  Blablaman, your claim that the Gift Aid money "is not their [the contributors] money, it's ours, all of ours" shows quite clearly you do not understand how the Gift Aid payment scheme works.

  Let me try one last time. Let us say I have £125 of my income which is taxable. I am taxed at 20% so the UK Treasury takes £25 of that money. That leaves me with £100. I contribute that £100 to a charity with which I have previously signed a Gift Aid arrangement. The UK Treasury then pays out the £25 (which I had paid in as tax) to the charity. That is how Gift Aid works.

  So, by committing to the Gift Aid arrangement those individual congregational members are authorising the charity/congregation to claim back the tax as Gift Aid. The only money any charity can claim as Gift Aid is the tax that has already been paid on the money received from the donors.
• 

  Blablaman

  Thanks Ernest for confirming that;

  a. "The UK Treasury then pays out £25".

  b. The JW "congregations claim back the tax".

  Apart from the fact your maths are incorrect, you are clarifying the fact that it is Treasury funds, paid as Tax Relief. So what you are saying is; the specific tax paid is your money. So, with this in mind; you own the tax that you paid that now resides in the Treasury coffers? NO, the Treasury control that money, and they choose where it is spent. It's just a technicality that all the JW congregations and The Bible and Tract Society of GB get this Gift Aid money because they are registered charities.

  What about my tax that I've paid? Do I have a choice as to how it gets spent? Beyond voting, no not really. So, because one is a "Religion", they are the exception to the rule... Is that right and good? Are all religions good? IMO I don't think so.

  I find it strange and disturbing how people choose to interpret facts, especially those which written as rules and therefore must be correct and adhered to! Please watch this;

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScZzQgs_C8k&list=UU077xId1LlVwMHsiJUQQGzQ&index=13&feature=plcp
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  Blablaman

  digderidoo

  Earnest

  You speak with forked tongues...
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  Blablaman

  If enough of us write to Charity Commission and include enough clear evidence why the JW congregations and WTBTS should not be eligible for charity status, they cannot ignore us. Maybe do the same to the government? I'm going to start this by gathering data in one file in spread sheet format so every entry can be referenced.

  I think a new thread is required.
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  rickisteel

  im sorry but i dont see what good this will do . i would not sign it because i feel it is totally

  unfair . i havent been an active christian in 12 years now , but when i was i never saw any of the things

  on the petition going on , i used to pass on clothes from my young children to people i called on , i walked round in the snow to check

  on all the elderly people i called upon and offered my help , clearing paths , shopping etc .

  you get the odd bad egg but jehovahs witnesses in general are decent honest people who go out of their way to practically help

  out where they can , at least thats what i have seen in the U.K
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  digderidoo

  What about my tax that I've paid? Do I have a choice as to how it gets spent?

  You do with GiftAid.
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  gorgia

  I've signed.
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  Blablaman

  rickisteel

  That's a shame you feel it's unfair. I'm not sure I understand what you see as being unfair.

  What I must make clear is; I don't consider the JW individual congregational members bad in any way. Although, they may be naive and emotionally weak... as you rightly say, they are mostly good eggs. But charitable?... No. JW's are the least charitable of any religion I know. They will always help the flock first; it's written to be that way; " Pay Attention to Yourselves and to All the Flock" . Can anybody tell one example of a good and charitable event (for the general public's benefit) that was instigated by JW's or the WTBTS? I never see anything advertised on the web, or locally... what people do and believe in is up to them, providing it does not impinge on me and public funds in a way that is bias. As ully made clear by now, my main gripe is about any possible abuse of Gift Aid and Charity Status. All the stuff from the USA WT is another bag of ...

  digderidoo

  "What about my tax that I've paid? Do I have a choice as to how it gets spent?"

  "You do with GiftAid."

  To a point I agree. However, it's clearly being abused. IMO JW’s and the WTBTS are just one such example.

  Religions IMO should not by default be awarded charity status, that is unless they are providing clear services to the greater public benefit, that is, beyond the printing and publishing of religious rhetoric.

  Consider every registered religion in the UK, and the UK Treasury subsidising the printing, publishing and distribution of all religious literature/events. At what cost in Tax Relief is this to the UK? It’s highly likely £xxx millions. The average Atheist or Agnostic does not benefit from Tax Relief to support his/her cause in a similar context? Democracy my arse! This is why I feel so strongly about this. Why should the nation subsidise religions that many people do not even know about, let alone care about?
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  Refriedtruth

  This just up,interesting!

  RSPCA 'is one of Britain's most complained about charities'

  Telegraph.co.uk - 7 hours ago Jan 7 2012

  ... the Commission said it recorded 12 complaints against the RSPCA, behind only the Jehovah's Witnessesand the HFSH Charitable Trust http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/9783676/RSPCA-is-one-of-Britains-most-complained-about-charities.html
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  konceptual99

  Sadly 13 complaints against JWs in the UK, whilst making us joint top, is hardly a tidal wave. What would be really interesting is if the number of complaints went up into 3 or 4 figures - that would make the gap to the next in line worthy of reporting....