360 charities lose tax-exemption status

MORE than 360 charities have had their tax-exemption status withdrawn since 2000, it has emerged.

Despite a massive growth in the number of bodies registered as charities, there is no independent monitoring of what these organisations are doing with the monies they receive, because the charity sector is not regulated.

In its programme for government, the Fianna Fáil-PD coalition pledged that a comprehensive reform of the law relating to charities to ensure “accountability and to protect against abuse of charitable status and fraud”.