Ethos boss makes case for religions to retain charity status

The New Zealand Association of Humanists and Rationalists recently argued that advancement of religion should no longer qualify as a charitable purpose, which would see religious organisations losing tax advantages. But this was challenged by Alex Penk, the chief executive of Ethos, a registered charity that offers advice, advocacy and education to promote the rights of conscience, religion and belief.

Mr Penk said that the question of whether charities that also run businesses should pay tax on their commercial income is a different issue. But, “simply put, religion is a personal and social good and we should treat it as such”.

Religion is an integral part of being of being human, Mr Penk said. School children learn “about the importance of hauora and the Māori health model Te Whare Tapa Whā, which teaches that the four pillars of well-being include taha wairua or spiritual well-being”.

“Being able to search for meaning and to order our lives in accordance with what we find is part of what makes us whole and healthy moral agents. It would be odd to teach our children that this matters, while simultaneously stripping it out of our charities law.”

Religion can also operate as a check and a balance against other institutions, like government, that can otherwise concentrate and abuse power, Mr Penk argued. And it is clear that religion creates obvious social goods, Mr Penk added.

He cited Associate Professor Juliet Chevalier-Watts, an atheist, who highlighted the “enormous” contribution of religious charities to New Zealand’s national life, for example through foodbanks, addiction services, housing and education. She quantified this as worth “$6.1 billion to New Zealand in 2018 alone”.

“Critics might argue we can simply give tax breaks to those activities and leave religion out of it,” Mr Penk added.

“But that overlooks an important fact – religion of the almsgiving, love-your-neighbour variety is the reason those desirable activities exist in the first place. You won’t get the fruits if you cut off the roots.”

Mr Penk also noted that New Zealand’s specific religious heritage has brought significant benefits that are mostly taken for granted.

“A mature society accepts that asking ultimate questions, and supporting the human desire to seek meaning and truth, is a good thing even if we don’t agree on the answers,” Mr Penk concluded.

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Why religion should still be spared taxation (By Alex Penk/The Post – subscription required)

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