After Exodus Global Alliance lost its application for charitable tax-exempt status in New Zealand, the blog Slap Upside the Head noticed that Exodus already enjoys fraudulent misuse of this status in Canada.
That prompted blogger Mark to ask a very simple question: How is it “charitable” for a U.S.-based religious organization to commit unprofessional acts of psychological abuse against Canadian gay people?
We’d like to know the answer to a similar question: How is it “charitable” for such organizations to charge hundreds of dollars per day for this abuse?
According to Mark:
Charitable status can be revoked for one of three reasons: Voluntary revocation (unlikely in this case), Revocation for failure to file taxes (also unlikely), or revocation for a cause other than a failure to file. The latter is complicated, but states that charitable status can be revoked for “a failure to comply with the requirements of registration,” which may include the “public benefit test.”
According to Revenue Canada, claims of public benefit by any charity “may be […] rebutted by concerns raised,” and there is definitely legal precedent of this.
Mark has thus created an action page from which Canadians may contact the Canada Revenue Agency and request reconsideration of Exodus’ charitable status.
Mark adds:
We’re looking for experts in the medical and psychological community to sign a common letter to send to the CRA attesting that Exodus is doing demonstrable harm in Canada. If you are, or know an accredited doctor, psychologist, psychiatrist, please help us get in touch! Together, we’ll write a letter to send to both the press and the CRA.
We hope that some of our professional readers will contact Mark and offer to help with this common letter.
