Canned charities review another Government U-turn

The Government’s about face on a long-promised review of the Charities Act is nothing more than a sop to commercial sector interest groups, Labour’s Community and Voluntary Sector spokesperson Louisa Wall says.

“Jo Goodhew knows there is a widely-recognised problem with the definition of charity in the Charities Act.

“She also knows that at the moment big commercial enterprises are able to channel tax benefits into private hands, while small community-based groups, working at grass-roots level, are being refused registration.

“It’s appalling of the Government to treat the Community and Voluntary sector in such a disrespectful manner, especially after the Minister said at the Second Reading of the Crown Entities Reform Bill: ‘I know from first-hand experience how vital the charitable and non-profit sector is, the challenges that it faces, and the benefits it produces for New Zealanders.’

“If Ms Goodhew truly believed that, then she would be proceeding with the review, not canning it.

“This is a bad decision made by an arrogant Government that doesn’t care how it will impact on the 93,000 community and voluntary sector organisations and 25,000 registered charities in New Zealand.

“And it shows, yet again, that this Government is willing to ignore the concerns and advice of the people at the coalface.

“Ms Goodhew needs to listen to her stakeholders. She should rethink her decision before she loses the complete confidence of the sector,” Louisa Wall said.

ends

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On The 2013 Budget

Among Thursday’s main talking points:

We are apparently on track for a margin-of-error $75 million surplus, now in sight for 2014/15. But this sickly creature is hobbling out of the lab on the basis of all kinds of facilitative conjuring: such as trimming by $200 million the amount of new spending next time around.

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Budget Report, Lockup Audio & Images: Budget Day 2013 As always and especially after the managerial mishaps of the past few weeks and months, (e.g. Aaron Gilmore, the Mighty River Power share float, the GCSB mishaps) Budget Day 2013 was always going to be a pageant of reassurance... More>>

Budget 2013 Comment: Plain Sailing, But It's No America's Cup Pattrick Smellie: Compared to the last four budgets, this year's reflects an economy moving out of recession and into calmer waters... Yet if the fastest annual growth rate we can expect over the next two years is 3 percent - with the Christchurch rebuild in full swing - then you'd have to say New Zealand's underlying low-growth problem is far from fixed. More>>

Auckland Discord: Govt’s Power Hungry Housing Approach A Threat - Labour

Last week the Government said this, ‘The Government commits not to use any proposed or existing powers ... to override the council's planning and consenting processes’. But its housing Bill says this; ‘If an accord cannot be reached in an area of severe housing unaffordability, the Government can intervene by establishing special housing areas and issuing consents for developers’. More>>

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Extending Protest Ban, Relaxing Permit Rules: Govt Abuses Urgency To Extend Anadarko Amendment

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