24 December 2002
NEW ZEALAND GRANTS RELIGIOUS CHARITY STATUS TO SCIENTOLOGY AFTER 48 YEARS
In a landmark decision for the Eastern hemisphere, tax authorities in New Zealand have recognised the Church of Scientology in Auckland, founded in January 1955, as a tax-exempt, charitable organization dedicated to the advancement of religion.
In a December 24 letter, the New Zealand Inland Revenue notified the Church that “the advancement of Scientology meets the requirements of the definition of Charitable Purpose in�. the Income Tax Act of 1994”, and “the Church of Scientology of New Zealand is a ’society or institution established exclusively for charitable purposes’�”
The Church of Scientology New Zealand is the second oldest Church of Scientology in the world and the first established outside the United States.
Leisa Goodman, Human Rights Director of the Los Angeles-based Church of Scientology International and a third generation New Zealander from a family of Scientologists, welcomed the recognition as “consistent with New Zealand’s tradition of pioneering human rights across the world.”
Goodman returns to her native country today to celebrate the victory and to spend Christmas and New Years with her family. Goodman was a board member of the Church of Scientology in New Zealand before moving to the United States. Her grandmother was one of the earliest practitioners of Scientology in New Zealand.
“I grew up during the early days of Scientology in New Zealand and the experience gave me my first taste of religious intolerance. I vowed then to devote my life to human rights. Happily, such intolerance is a thing of the past in New Zealand, but some so-called civilized Western democracies such as Germany still have to catch up,” said Goodman.
“Inland Revenue’s decision to grant the Church of Scientology New Zealand charity status acknowledges the Church’s half-century of service to its parishioners and the community, including the successful Drug-Free Ambassadors programme,” she said.
The Church of Scientology was fully recognized as a tax-exempt, bona fide religion in 1983 by the Australian High Court, and since then has gained official recognition in the United States, Canada, Sweden, South Africa, Venezuela, Portugal, and by a number of government agencies in the United Kingdom. Well over 100 courts in Europe have held that Scientology is a religion.
The 1983 historic decision in Australia’s High Court helped establish a new legal definition for religion, which the New Zealand Inland Revenue has adopted as its official definition. Scientology ministers have been recognized as ministers of religion authorized to perform legal marriages since 1974, but formal recognition of the Church as a religious charity has not been granted until today.
“Today’s Inland Revenue determination will make it possible to devote more resources to providing services to our parishioners and to our many social programmes,” said Rev. Mike Ferris, spokesman for the Church of Scientology New Zealand.
The Scientology religion was founded by American author and humanitarian L. Ron Hubbard. From one church in 1954, it has grown to more than 3,000 churches, missions and groups in 154 countries. Mr. Hubbard’s writings on Scientology have been translated into 53 languages.
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