PDA

View Full Version : moral dilemmas ... hundi donation



Eastern Mind
15 October 2009, 06:16 PM
Namaste all:

You live in a country where a portion of charitable or religious donations are tax deductable, as a way for the government to promote charity. A devotee at your temple proposes the following. He will purchase the Hundi cash from you at 115%. In return the temple will write him a receipt for the full 115%. In this way, he can claim the donation on his tax form, and the temple can increase its hundi income by 15%. (from the government) .

You are a member of the board. Do you vote yes or no for this plan?

Aum Namasivaya

Eastern Mind
23 October 2009, 07:44 AM
I'm not actually sure about other temples in our city, or in Canada or the US. This was an actual case, a suggestion to our temple from a person with a long standing involvement with another temple society where the plan was used.

Myself and others on the board at that time disagreed. Our basic reasoning was as follows.

The plan bordered at least on 'shady'. We didn't want much 'bad' money coming in. The primary reason, though was that the devotee who gives to the hundi gives directly to the temple, usually in a small amount, and doesn't care for a tax receipt. If it is a person who comes a lot and wants to give a lot, they can write a cheque once a month or once a year, and have the receipt for donation given. It is then their choice whether or not they want to declare it on their tax form. It is for this reason that anonymity is kept up. (excluding board of trustees, especially treasurer) Whenever I get a 'he's cheap' comment (Yes, unfortunately, it does happen) because he never puts money on the tray, my response is. "Yes, but how do you know he didn't write a cheque for $10 000?"

In India, I have no idea how to give. Thats another topic for another day.

Aum Namasivaya

satay
23 October 2009, 12:52 PM
Namaskar,

I would vote a big no for this. Selling of temple donation to gain profit is not ethical for anyone involved, in my opinion.