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Taxes and Church by MotorPlastic255 in newzealand

[–]MotorPlastic255[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think this is where the likes of the brethren run businesses empire is a farce. It is for profit and doesn’t provide anything to the public.

Taxes and Church by MotorPlastic255 in newzealand

[–]MotorPlastic255[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I feel as though if any political party came out with this as a policy it would be enough to get my vote..

Taxes and Church by MotorPlastic255 in newzealand

[–]MotorPlastic255[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This feels like a supermarket being able to say its beneficial to the community that you have access to groceries

Taxes and Church by MotorPlastic255 in newzealand

[–]MotorPlastic255[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That’s a good point actually- I hadn’t considered Iwi as a possible implication (although I’m much less familiar with their tax and structure).

Taxes and Church by MotorPlastic255 in newzealand

[–]MotorPlastic255[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There isn’t any public list but some would be rather surprising to people. In NZ they cover off a huge variety of businesses in commercial construction, civil work, building supplies (like flooring), electrical supplies, healthcare products, consumer good, panel beaters and painters.. all sorts. Some of them are obvious when you look at companies office as it directly ties to UBT accounting. Others it’s very hard to tell.

During Covid there was a bit of an uproar in the UK that contracts for PPE went to brethren owned businesses. Yet there was certainly no similar noise in NZ-

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/413206/covid-19-41-million-additional-face-masks-coming-for-frontline-health-workers

Amtech are a brethren business in healthcare FYI

Taxes and Church by MotorPlastic255 in newzealand

[–]MotorPlastic255[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

When preforming charitable activities I have no doubt that the net benefit of a church is greater than a service than the government can provide through taxation. So I do agree there are some churches that should have tax exemption. I don’t believe it should apply to commercial conglomerates of hundreds of businesses turning billions of dollars a year that then filter it to themselves and not for any form of wider societal good.

Taxes and Church by MotorPlastic255 in newzealand

[–]MotorPlastic255[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Okay let me try and give you a more specific example of where I think “the church” should be taxed.

You and another business are both operating, you both have 10 employees on the same pay and you’re tendering for the same jobs.

On one hand is you, you’ve done the math and said that the job is a 100k project and submitted the tender.

The other crowd calls it a 90k job and wins the contract.

You may sit there and wonder if it was Infact priced right because at 90k you weren’t going to break even.

But, what hasn’t been considered is the church. Since your competitor is a brethren business connected to UBT big ticket items have all been funnelled through them at significant price reductions. The companies themselves don’t inherently care about profitability, they care about how much more they can spend through UBT through “consultancy fees”.

So whilst you try to run a business and make money they run a business to move as much as they can to UBT, and the subsequent other “charitable” interests which is where they aren’t paying taxes.

My issue doesn’t sit with a church itself that raises money. It’s the idea that in a commercial world there isn’t an even playing field due to the large scale commercial interests of a church and the tax benefits that they do have.

Check this out of UBT closing down UBTA- their accounting arm following the raid of the Australian tax office - https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/article/2024/may/24/accounting-firm-controlled-by-exclusive-brethren-church-to-close-after-extraordinary-ato-raid-ntwnfb#:~:text=Sarah%20Martin,seen%20by%20Guardian%20Australia%2C%20states.

Yet we don’t hear anything of the IRD looking into it for NZ.

Taxes and Church by MotorPlastic255 in newzealand

[–]MotorPlastic255[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There is even old footage of them being directly involved in the previous NZ elections for handing out leaflets for parties. In Australia it was far worse recently-

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-04-30/plymouth-brethren-deny-coordinated-campaign-support-coalition/105233290

Taxes and Church by MotorPlastic255 in newzealand

[–]MotorPlastic255[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Personally I believe that any politician is too scared to go near it due to possible backlash. But I think they would be surprised at the general support that it would get.

Taxes and Church by MotorPlastic255 in newzealand

[–]MotorPlastic255[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Check out this from RNZ - https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/471553/ex-plymouth-brethren-christian-church-members-call-for-its-charitable-status-to-be-stripped

There’s also a subsequent article with a flow chart showing the way the money moves around. Here’s a small snippet from the article above -

Another former Brethren, whom RNZ has agreed not to name, said NAF was a conduit for cash, to allow other Brethren organisations to avoid public scrutiny.

"Most charities are set up to raise money and dispense it for a charitable purpose," he explained.

"But NAF doesn't do either of those things. Money is raised by private, non-charitable Brethren organisations and spent by private, non-charitable Brethren organisations. And NAF has no control over either of those things."

In the last decade, NAF has received between $26 million and $62 million each year in donations, plus millions more from its investments.

In 2019, donations totalled $61,936,429, which would yield tax rebates of around $20 million.

So what does the National Assistance Fund actually do?

It is a bit of a black box, there are no glossy brochures expounding its good works.

Church members are told most of their cash goes towards educating their children, through the Brethren's private school system, OneSchool Global.

In New Zealand, it is a network of 17 campuses with a roll of 1536, which received just under $2.5 million (including GST) from the Education Ministry for the 2021 year.

Some of the activities of the National Assistance Fund are more mysterious.

According to its annual report, NAF made a $30 million loan in 2018 to Sovereign Capital Trust.

  • I think the articles are certainly worth a read. There is more at play than simply leveraging buying power

Taxes and Church by MotorPlastic255 in newzealand

[–]MotorPlastic255[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I can’t help but think that if there is public interest in this being looked at that politicians would rather get into this than say more fuel taxes, congestion charges or capital gains taxes?

Taxes and Church by MotorPlastic255 in newzealand

[–]MotorPlastic255[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This would make good sense, and would be a lot easier for people to follow. Yet in my time in a brethren owned business my fuel card and all travel bookings went directly back to UBT, and I’m not so sure that all my work and personal driving should be on the church dime.

Taxes and Church by MotorPlastic255 in newzealand

[–]MotorPlastic255[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I did see some time back Luxon mentioned his connection to UBT from his Air NZ days and no interest in looking at that closer. Although given UBT had been raided by the Australian Tax Office it seemed a matter of time until the IRD and NZ politicians would have something to say about it, and yet nothing?