ACNC Revokes 1300+ Charities

The national charity regulator, the ACNC, has revoked another 1373 charities for not meeting their reporting requirements.  

The organisations had their charity status revoked for not submitting their Annual Information Statement by the March 30 deadline to the Australian Charities and Not-for-profit Commission (ACNC) for two consecutive years.

And the ACNC has warned that a further 7000 double defaulters may have their charity status revoked in the coming months.

Maintaining charity status with the ACNC is a requirement to being able to access a range of tax concessions from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).

ACNC Commissioner, Susan Pascoe AM said the ACNC had made multiple failed attempts to get in contact with these charities and that revocation was a last resort.

“Revoking charity status is a significant step and one that we do not take lightly. However, we have made numerous attempts to get in contact with these charities and these charities have still not completed their reporting,” Pascoe said.

“These charities have failed to respond to numerous reminders and missed multiple deadlines.

“Both the 2013 and 2014 Annual Information Statement should not take charities very long to complete.

“It’s a way for charities to demonstrate transparency and inform the donating public about their activities.”

Pascoe said that revoking charities that do not meet their ACNC obligations was in the public’s interest.

“Our broader aim with revoking these charities is to safeguard the public and ensure that they only donate to charities that meet their obligations.

“Having charity status is a privilege granted to organisations that serve a charitable purpose.

“The public can be assured that only charities that submit their reporting so that we can verify they are operating for a charitable purpose get access to Commonwealth charity tax concessions.

“Charities should note that they may stand to lose their deductible gift recipient (DGR) status, making donating to these charities less attractive for donors."

The ACNC previously warned that as many as 1400 charities faced losing their status.

The charities facing revocation included a range of charitable trusts, religious organisations, parent associations and health charities.

Charities that were facing revocation by state:

• Australian Capital Territory – 50

• New South Wales – 500

• Northern Territory – 15

• Queensland – 260

• South Australia – 180

• Tasmania – 30

• Victoria – 170

• Western Australia – 190