38 As previously mentioned a political purpose will not affect an institution's charitable status if it is ancillary or incidental to a charitable purpose: Re Inman, deceased [1965] VR 238; and NDG Neighbourhood Association v Revenue Canada, Taxation Department [1988] 2 CTC 2048; 88 DTC 6279. However where, as here, the main purpose is political, the question arises whether charitable and political purposes are mutually exclusive. This question was addressed by Santow J in Public Trustee v Attorney-General of New South Wales (1997) 42 NSWLR 600. His Honour observed, at 620:
An object of changing government policy may be no less "political" than changing the law … But it does not follow that every intended addition to the law involves such contrariety with identifiable government policy that it becomes automatically "political".
39 It was submitted that Aid/Watch's objectives are not contrary to government policy. In the Tribunal's view, put at its highest, Aid/Watch's activities can only be described as seeking "to influence government policy as to the nature and extent and means of delivery of overseas aid". The Tribunal held that because Aid/Watch did not have "changes to the law as a main object" the principles enunciated in Bowman v Secular Society Ltd and National Anti-Vivisection Society v Inland Revenue Commissioners (see [13]-[14] above) did not apply. The Tribunal added:
It may be disqualified if its objects and activities, although not overtly political, still place undue emphasis on attempts to influence government, particularly with respect to priorities and methods. The argument against charitable status may be enhanced because of its activist approaches and confrontational methods. However, I consider that Aid/Watch's objectives and activities, as I have found them to be, fall short of disqualifying it from being a charity.
40 It is not entirely clear what the Tribunal intended by the reference to "undue emphasis" on attempts to influence government or to Aid/Watch's priorities and methods. If it was merely intended to suggest that Aid/Watch might jeopardise its charitable status if it operated outside its stated objects, the comment is unobjectionable. Short of that, however, we do not accept that the charitable status of an institution can depend on the manner in which it implements its charitable purpose.
41 We accept that, at one level Aid/Watch's efforts, are not in conflict with government policy. There was no suggestion that government is not concerned to deliver aid efficiently or with due regard to environmental concerns. Aid/Watch's concern however, is that the delivery of aid should conform to its view of the best way to achieve these objects. It does not take into account that government and its agencies inevitably have to make choices in determining where, how and how much aid is to be delivered. Undoubtedly some of those choices will involve factors with which Aid/Watch is concerned. Others, however, will involve domestic and foreign political considerations that do not concern Aid/Watch. Some of these factors may have very little to do with foreign aid or the manner of its delivery.
42 In Attorney General for NSW v The NSW Henry George Foundation Ltd [2002] NSWSC 1128, Young CJ in Eq discussed Santow J's views as expressed in Public Trustee v Attorney-General of NSW and in a subsequent paper that was published as "Charity in its Political Voice - a Tinkling Cymbal or a Sounding Brass?" (1999) 18 Aust Bar Review 225. At [47] Young CJ summarised Santow J's views as follows:
His Honour … suggests that the way the law is tending is to say that (a) [McGovern v Attorney-General [1982] Ch 321] is in error when it says that if a main purpose of a trust is political then the trust cannot be charitable; (b) that working for a change in the law in the way in which the law tends to be changing does not affect a trust being a charitable trust; and (c) one should look to see whether the object to promote political change is so persuasive and predominant as to disqualify the trust from being a charitable trust…
43 While Young CJ, in principle, expressed his support for Santow J's approach, his Honour concluded, at [54], that:
Whatever its weaknesses, it would seem that the or a main or dominant purpose test is where the law has reached at the present time.
44 Young CJ was sceptical about claims that courts are not able to judge the public benefit of proposals to amend the law and added, that diverse argument on issues of public importance might, in itself be of community importance. His Honour referred to the tests proposed by Professor LA Sheridan in an article entitled "The Political Muddle - A Charitable View?" published in (1977) 19 Malaya Law Review 42, which his Honour summarised at [65] as follows:
1. A trust which objectively cannot promote the public benefit cannot be charitable.
2. A trust to promote legislation in the interests of members of a group such as a professional association is not charitable.
3. A trust for the promotion or defeat of unselfish legislation which is controversial is not charitable.
4. A trust to study and prepare comments on legislative bills is charitable.
5. A trust to promote legislation improving the law is charitable. Judges can tell what would improve the law and what would not.
45 Young CJ commented that, "as a single judge" he could not go this far. We would add that as an intermediate appellate court we also cannot go so far. In any event we do not accept that judges can tell what would improve the law in all circumstances. In particular courts are not equipped to consider all the factors that have resulted in decisions as to what foreign aid is to be provided and how it is to be delivered and they are not entitled to enter into such debates.
46 In the Henry George Foundation case Young CJ considered a trust "for the purpose of promulgating and spreading knowledge of the teachings and economic principles elaborated by Henry George". His Honour found, at [85], that the dominant purpose of that trust was education and therefore was a valid charitable trust even though "the ultimate purpose of this education may only be fully realised by legislation". This is not the case here. Although we have found that the activities of Aid/Watch may be described as educational, this activity is a long way from being the dominant activity. The Henry George Foundation case should be distinguished from the present.
47 The "natural and probable consequence" of Aid/Watch's activities is an effect on public opinion and then on government opinion. Relief from poverty, however, is not either a natural or probable consequence precisely because governments have to take into account factors that institutions such as Aid/Watch do not need to consider; see [41] above. It is for this reason that, irrespective of whether in other circumstances courts may be able to judge public benefit, in this case no such determination can be made. A similar position was taken in Southwood v Attorney-General [2000] TLR 541 by Chadwick LJ who said:
The court was in no position to determine that promotion of the one view rather than the other was for the public benefit. Not only did the court have no material on which to make that choice; to attempt to do so would be to usurp the role of government.
So the court could not recognise as charitable a trust to educate the public to an acceptance that peace was best secured by demilitarisation in the sense in which that concept was used by the appellants.
Nor, conversely, could the court recognise as charitable a trust to educate the public to an acceptance that war was best avoided by collective security through membership of a military alliance - say, NATO.
48 In our view the Tribunal erred in concluding that Aid/Watch's main purpose was not political and in holding that Aid/Watch is a charitable institution within the meaning of s 50 of the ITA Act. The Tribunal's decision should be set aside and in lieu thereof the applicant's reviewable objection decision of 6 March 2007 is affirmed.
- I certify that the preceding forty-eight (48) numbered paragraphs are a true copy of the Reasons for Judgment herein of the Honourable Justices Kenny, Stone & Perram.