this post was submitted on 02 Oct 2023
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Why The Warehouse and Sanitarium Weet-Bix showdown is significant | Stuff.co.nz (i.stuff.co.nz)
submitted 1 year ago by z2k_@lemmy.nz to c/newzealand@lemmy.nz
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I have no idea how Sanitarium thought what they were doing was ok and that they would get away with it after the supermarket investigation by comcom and the cost of living crisis being the biggest election issue.

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[–] Rangelus@lemmy.nz 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Academics and Redditors just hate anything to do with Christianity and want to persecute Christians at every opportunity.

What a stupid take.

It has nothing to do with their religion, and everything to do with running a for-profit organization under the guise of 'charity'. If the church they donate profits to does charitable works, they are a charity. ~~Sanitarium benefits from tax-free status without actually doing anything to benefit society.~~ Dave's post above shows this isn't correct. They pay no tax because they donate all their profit.

[–] Dave@lemmy.nz 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Sanitarium are not a charity. I've explained a bit more in another reply here.

In my view, there is nothing wrong with a church having charitable status. However, this status should be based on their charity, not based on them simply being a church.

Hell, we could apply the marae criteria to churches:

b) a marae has a charitable purpose if the physical structure of the marae is situated on land that is a Maori reservation referred to in Te Ture Whenua Maori Act 1993 (Maori Land Act 1993)and the funds of the marae are not used for a purpose other than—
(i) the administration and maintenance of the land and of the physical structure of the marae:
(ii) a purpose that is a charitable purpose other than under this paragraph.

And I'd add a charity should not be allowed to donate to political parties or encourage their members to. A charity should be non-political.

[–] Rangelus@lemmy.nz 2 points 1 year ago

Yeah I was wrong, I've edited my reply.

I agree with your suggestion btw. Charities should do charitable works. Being a church in on in itself a charitable works. We really need to move past religion as the most important thing.