Economics 101: Why Donating to a Real Charity Makes More Sense than Donating to Greenpeace
Posted on Thursday, August 25, 2011 at 2:34 PM by Richard Schitts
Charities help people. For this they get tax breaks from the government. People who donate to charities also get tax breaks. You can't just sign up to be a charity, you have to meet certain criteria set out by the government designed to evaluate how much you really are helping its citizens.
As a citizen if you donate to a charity you get a tax break and know that the charity has met certain government controls. You can be fairly sure your money will be used for the cause they promote.
If you donate to a company you have no idea what the money is being used for. You don't get a tax break. They don't have to answer to the government oversight, but they do have to pay tax on profits. This is like donating money to an Oil Company and saying "put this toward environmental cleanup".
-The new slogan?
Canada: Not A charity
GP lost it's charity status in Canada in 1989. GP then found a tax loop hole which was closed in 1995. The hilarious statement on the Greenpeace website says: "In order to remain independent from governments and industry, Greenpeace cannot issue tax receipts."
This statement can be found here: http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/Donate/Monthly-giving/
New Zealand: Not A charity
The NZ court ruled: Greenpeace too political to register as charity in 2010.
Germany: "Looks set to loose its Charity Status"
A German Study in 2006 said lax Charity Rules "...had allowed special interest groups to avoid paying certain taxes and to win excessive public influence as a result. The advisory committee said there is an urgent need for a ‘clear restriction of the tax privileges presently associated with charitable status... [and] should not be aimed ‘primarily at political influence on public opinion’; instead the specific results of environmental activities should be closely evaluated and proven."
It was proposed by the German government to remove Greenpeace's tax breaks. Greenpeace now also protests this study, protests which have to be funded by donations to GP. You can understand that the German government does not want to give tax breaks to a company that spends that money protesting against the political workings of goverment.
USA: Yes for the Moment
Greenpeace has toned down protests directed at US Coal in favor of the less environmentally harmful Canadian oilsands. The question is, how long can they keep quiet from speaking out against American Industry? I'm a little pissed that GP gets a free ride while we're laying off our teachers and cutting public services!
-Meanwhile at Greenpeace headquarters.
What This Means to YOU!
Greenpeace in different countries has to obey different tax laws. Greenpeace is one entity with the same operating practices and procedures everywhere. This is concerning because A)Greenpeace actually MAKES a profit (Not all money goes to environmental causes) and B)Greenpeace doesn't actually evaluate environmental effects and consequences, it just exerts pressure based on opinion. Why not donate to a REAL charity so you know your money will be put to good use plus you get a tax break?
Sources:
http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php?/site/article/2843/
Do you have info on GP's charity status in your country? Please fire me an email!
Edited on: Thursday, August 25, 2011 2:44 PMPosted in GP hypocrisy Series (RSS)