GOVERNMENT Senator Reginald Hunte has given the thumbs-up to the Charities Amendment Bill which allows for more transparent donations to charitable organisations, especially those that were declared tax exempt.
Speaking in the Senate yesterday afternoon, Hunte said there must be checks and balances.
“We always have to look down the road but there are checks and balances. We have to have that confidence in ourselves as a country; and therefore I have no doubt that something has to start somewhere,” he said.
“I am convinced that this amendment will serve Barbados extremely well.
“We once had a guy who used to come here and donate to a charity, I believe it was the hospital, then only to find out he was jailed in Britain.
“He used to donate to many things here and people couldn’t understand where he got [the] money from.”
Hunte said the bill was critical, and was in no doubt that it would be closely monitored.
“There will be a watchful eye on this bill because we must not forget that public servants run this country. Government institutes policy but public servants run this country.”
Fellow Government Senator Darcy Boyce said the bill sought to expand the list of exempt charities that now include such institutions as the AIDS Foundation of Barbados, the Barbados National Trust, the Small Business Association, Barbados Cancer Society, and Cancer Support Services, etc.
Boyce said that charities would still have to do the appropriate filings with [the] Income Tax Department and Corporate Affairs in order to ensure that “they keep themselves clear and clean”.
He said the plan was to make sure that more institutions that did good work in society were enabled to get substantial grants to help in their work. (MK)
