More public benefit guidance unveiled

Finance | 17 Dec 2008

The Charity Commission has published supplementary public benefit guidance for four more types of charity – those that prevent or relieve poverty; those that advance religion, or education, and those that charge fees.

The additional guidance seeks to help charities in those sectors meet the new public benefit test that was introduced as part of the Charities Act 2006. The presumption that charities provide public benefit was removed in the Act, and charities must now prove that they benefit society.

The final guidance was the result of an extensive consultation with the sector, and the Commission (pictured) has today also published the summaries of responses to the consultations on each of the draft guides.

Of these, the advancement of religion guidance attracted the most comments, with 263 responses; 58 commented on the guidance on the prevention or relief of poverty; advancement of education generated 165 responses, and fee-charging charities received 189 responses.

The Commission said it will be working to actively promote the guidance in the new year, to ensure the relevant charities are aware it exists.

Additional guidance will be published on public benefit and the advancement or moral or ethical belief systems. The consultation on that draft guidance opened in September and will close on 5 January 2009.

Further supplementary public benefit guidance on other types of charitable purposes will follow. The next will be animal welfare and human rights.

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