Government committee recommends eliminating charitable tax deduction for giving to places of worship

Why should you get a charitable tax receipt for donating to the salary of your minister, priest or rabbi?

That’s the question asked by the B.C. Humanist Association — and now it’s also on a list of proposed recommendations for the federal government from the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance.

In its report, titled “Pre-Budget Consultations In Advance Of The 2025 Budget,” the Committee recommends the next budget of the federal government “amend the Income Tax Act to provide a definition of a charity which would remove the privileged status of ‘advancement of religion’ as a charitable purpose.”

It’s one of 462 recommendations in the report, which was created following consultations with Canadians last summer. It is the first time that idea has appeared in the Committee’s report. 

Read about this proposed change to Canada’s charitable tax law in my recent Free Press column.