An online campaign has been set up asking people to donate to Rainbow Youth using Bishop Brian Tamaki’s name.
But Tamaki’s wife has tweeted, her husband will receive a tax return to the value of one third of every donation over $5.
Rainbow Youth supporters were encouraged to make the donations in Tamaki’s name, using Destiny Church’s office email address, to get back at him for things he said in a sermon Sunday before last.
In the sermon, given less that 24 hours before a massive 7.8 earthquake struck central New Zealand, Tamaki blamed gay people for causing natural disasters including earthquakes.
But as Tamaki’s wife has tweeted that her husband will receive a tax return to the value of one third of every donation over $5
“Just letting u knw. if u do this. Brian will get a 3rd of that money back. in tax return. so go ahead. make a donation towards us. Thk u”
An online petition calling on the prime minister John Key to strip Destiny Church of its tax free status has been signed my more than 120,000 people.
Earlier prime minister John Key labelled Tamaki’s remarks “ridiculous”.
“The facts of life are New Zealand is a seismically prone country, with a number of very well identified fault lines,” Key told RadioLive.
“It’s nothing to do with people’s sexuality. I mean, it’s just madness.”
Attorney General Chris Finlayson, who is gay, said “I think he needs a bit of counselling, frankly. He’s a sick puppy.”
Internal Affairs Minister, the United Future Peter Dunne tweeted:
“I do not favour taxing genuine churches & real charities, but as Destiny is obviously neither it should pay taxes like every other business”
As Internal Affairs Minister, Dunn oversees the registration of charities. But a spokesman for Dunne’s office said removing the church’s tax-exemption status wasn’t within his power.
He told the Herald deregistering a charity was a lengthy process and if the petition went before Parliament a select committee would make a recommendation before referring the issue to Charities Services.
The Charities Services would then conduct a review determine whether the organisation fulfilled the criteria, the spokesman said.
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