The Jehovah’s Witnesses have taken legal action against Australia’s charity watchdog...

[Witness]

Jehovah’s Witnesses facing tax turmoil

The secretive Christian group has begun legal action against the charity watchdog after it quietly revoked the organisation’s tax-exempt status over concerns with its opaque global structure.   

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I received this alert in my Google feed as well as the exjw who posted it.  I am not getting a subscription to the Australian newspaper to verify the article.  I'll leave that up to the readers here. I am sure it will come out in other news sites soon.  As usual, the organization puts money ahead of the lives of individuals.

This is the copied article supplied by the exjw:

The Jehovah’s Witnesses have taken legal action against Australia’s charity watchdog after it ­revoked the organisation’s tax-­exempt status over concerns with the religion’s opaque global donations structure and alleged failure to protect vulnerable people.

The organisation’s charitable arm, the Watchtower Bible and Tract ­Society of Australia, which posted an income of $32m in the year to August 31, has been ­accused of pushing cash offshore after directors splashed $16m of its total expenses on undisclosed­ ­donations and “overseas aid”.

The Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission informed Watchtower in November of its intention to revoke the ­organisation’s charity status, citing a litany of concerns about alleged contraventions of the Corporations Act and a failure to comply with a host of governance and conduct standards.

Lawyer and abuse survivor Alec Spencer, a PhD candidate at James Cook University, said the ACNC’s decision was comparable to the abolition of the so-called “Ellis defence” in NSW in 2018, which ended the Catholic Church’s long-standing immunity to lawsuits.

“If registration were to be removed, it would serve as a wake-up call for many other religious charities who have systemically failed to protect sexually abused children,” he said.

“The removal of charitable registration would be an extraordinary outcome, both for the commission and the religious charity sector in particular.”

The charity, which is seeking judicial review of the ACNC’s ­decision in the Federal Court, has been accused of “operating outside of Australia” and breaching its requirement to protect vulnerable people, including children, when conducting operations overseas.

In a statement, Watchtower ­director Terry O’Brien denied the ACNC had moved to strip the ­organisation of its charity registration. “The ACNC has assured the ­directors that they do not intend to revoke Watchtower Australia’s charity status,” Mr O’Brien said.

However, court documents filed last week reveal the ACNC sent a notice to revoke Watchtower’s charity registration to the group’s directors in November.

The ACNC has accused Watchtower’s directors of failing to comply with key conduct standards, including a requirement to disclose conflicts of interest and a requirement to protect children who are accessing benefits under the charity’s programs.

If the court upholds the ACNC’s decision, Watchtower will lose its status as a registered charity and will not be entitled to receive tax concessions, including lucrative tax breaks.

According to an application for judicial review filed by Watch­tower, the ACNC’s decision is ­“unlawful” and an “unreasonable and inappropriate exercise” of its discretion.

The organisation, which has nearly 70,000 members in Australia, has allocated almost $120m from 2014-20 to “donations and overseas aid”.

“As a donor, I would be very troubled by this,” Mr Spencer said. “And as a regulator, their hands are tied due to the differential treatment bestowed on basic ­religious charities.

“The ACNC could deregister a charity but the decision and why that occurs is not disclosed,” he said. “It allows them to operate in a cloud of secrecy.”

Watchtower argues that the decision contains multiple errors of law, including that the legislation confers “no function with respect to child protection” on the ACNC.

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse warned that there were systemic problems within the ­Jehovah’s Witness religion in dealing with abuse, including a failure to report credible alle­gations to the police.

The commission heard Jehovah’s Witnesses had documen­tation of abuse allegations by 1800 children involving more than 1000 perpetrators since 1950.

Former church member and child abuse survivor Lara Kaput said revocation of Watchtower’s charity status would be a “watershed moment” if it were upheld by the Federal Court.

“They were reticent to revoke their charity status because the charity commission knew it would set a precedent, and they don’t want that to happen,” Ms Kaput said.

An ACNC spokeswoman said it was unable to comment on the “particular circumstances of a charity” and whether or not a charity was being investigated.

[Arauna]

9 hours ago, Witness said:

the organization puts money ahead of the lives of individuals.

that is an opinion - your opinion... don't bother to reply in a barrage.

[Arauna]

9 hours ago, Witness said:

undisclosed­ ­donations and “overseas aid

We do give aid to others. And in this time of lockdown,  it has become crucial - so they need money to do this.... It does not fall like manna from heaven......

[Witness]

5 hours ago, Arauna said:

that is an opinion - your opinion... don't bother to reply in a barrage.

"For there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed, and nothing concealed that will not be brought to light."  Mark 4:22

5 hours ago, Arauna said:

We do give aid to others. And in this time of lockdown,  it has become crucial - so they need money to do this.... It does not fall like manna from heaven......

Then perhaps they could be transparent, instead of "opaque".  What do they have to hide?

 

14 hours ago, Witness said:

The Jehovah’s Witnesses have taken legal action against Australia’s charity watchdog after it ­revoked the organisation’s tax-­exempt status over concerns with the religion’s opaque global donations structure and alleged failure to protect vulnerable people.

 

[Witness]

9 hours ago, César Chávez said:

If they are so secretive, how is it everyone knows, idiot!!!

I didn't write the heading.  I provided the link where you can find it.

[Arauna]

21 minutes ago, Witness said:

perhaps they could be transparent,

They are transparent because they have made a court case. When you go to court the finances will be scrutinized.  If they were hiding something they would just accept unfair treatment and keep quiet.

[TrueTomHarley]

6 minutes ago, Arauna said:

They are transparent because they have made a court case.

 

15 hours ago, Witness said:

In a statement, Watchtower ­director Terry O’Brien denied the ACNC had moved to strip the ­organisation of its charity registration.

For now, this is the only statement that counts. It could change, but for now O’Brien is the way to go.

These other opposing characters live on fumes and wishful thinking, reporting the slightest rumor as fact. We have seen 4Jah quoting a lawyer’s advertisement for clients as though it were a news item. (and then not backing down when called on it!!) Well, no advertising would ever say something not true, is his position. Does it become clear why some here have unkindly called him a dodo?

Lloyd’s chum did the same, heralding rumor to the heavens, and then removing it. He certainly didn’t want to contribute to the “lying apostate” stereotype, and to prove it, he resolved to take down the mother of all lies he had posted, after it had registered with the gullible ones.

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For now, it is enough to know that the underlying rationale is bogus—not completely hogwash, but shamelessly overstated, as Holly Folk pointed out:

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Who knows? Should it turn out as Witness hopes, maybe Australia will become another France, which imposed a 60% tax on Witness finances that took many years for the ECHR to throw out as discriminatory.

 

 

[Witness]

1 hour ago, Arauna said:

They are transparent because they have made a court case.

Anyone can make a court case and still lie, still cover their sins.  See the video.

1 hour ago, Arauna said:

If they were hiding something they would just accept unfair treatment and keep quiet.

Firstly, if the Wt is hiding pertinent information, and it is found out, would the treatment doled out on them, be unfair?  Wt fights tooth and nail, whether they are right or wrong.       

1 Cor 6:7 - Actually, if you are bringing lawsuits against each other, it is already a defeat for you. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated?

 

 

[Witness]

What will become of this forum once Cesar Chavez/Billy the Kid/Allen Smith/Felix the Cat/....etc...

...finally explodes?  

[Witness]

UPDATE!

 

Correction from The Australian to yesterday’s story suggesting ACNC had withdrawn Watchtower’s charity status. This was false. (Article behind paywall, but someone sent me the content below)

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 CORRECTION: If any readers understood an earlier version of this article as suggesting the ACNC had withdrawn Watchtower’s charitable status, The Australian withdraws that suggestion. The Jehovah’s Witnesses say they have resolved legal action with Australia’s charity watchdog. after it threatened to revoke their tax-exempt status in November last year. Watchtower ­director Terry O’Brien said the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission confirmed on April 14 that they would not be revoking the organisation’s charity status and that the matter had been closed. Mr O’Brien said The Australian’s suggestion that the ACNC had revoked their charitable status was false.

 

SEE CONVERSATION HERE:   

 

[Srecko Sostar]

7 minutes ago, César Chávez said:

What's the difference, YOU reposted it!! Own your own failures!!!

I "reposted" WTJWorg lies about 1941. Who are you going to blame? Me or WTJWorg Company?

Cartons of Children that had been deposited in The Arena were now opened, and Judge Rutherford instructed the children how to come and each get a copy thereof, those in the rear half of The Arena marching in two columns out through a side exit, and those in the front half of The Arena marching up over the platform and out through a rear exit. As the march began, the orchestra (minus all its children instrumentalists) struck up and rendered songs, "Children of the Heavenly King," "The Sword of the Lord and of Gideon," and "Who Is on the Lord's Side'" while the vast audience sang. Never was there a more moving Sight in these "last days". Many, including strong men, wept at the demonstration. Receiving the gift, the marching children clasped it to them, not a toy or plaything for idle pleasure, but the Lord's provided Instrument for most effective work in the remaining months before Armageddon. What a gift I and to so many! The manner of releasing the new book Children was an outnght surprise to all, but the almighty hand of the All-wise One, Jehovah, was in it, and the maneuver was most blessed indeed. Thereafter Children, the author's edition, was disposed of to adult conventioners, on a contribution.    Wt, September 15 Page 288

[TrueTomHarley]

6 hours ago, Witness said:

Correction from The Australian to yesterday’s story suggesting ACNC had withdrawn Watchtower’s charity status. This was false.

Do I have a basis for yet another story of false news being so eagerly related and almost immediately thereafter declared hogwash? 

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Yes, yes—big print. I got it, you ol battle ax—a prominent retraction.

Would that it would prevent your next breathless heralding of your wishful thinking as though fact.