OPINIONISTA: Philanthropy in the spotlight By Shelagh Gastrow
Having just gone through an election where the focus has been on political parties and power, with a significant focus on who funds political parties and demands for greater transparency, it could therefore be opportune to explore other points of power in our society such as civil society organisations, with their relationship to philanthropic funding that has provided support, particularly since the formation of our democracy.
In South Africa, many donors claim an 18A tax certificate that affects the bottom line of their tax returns, while others establish tax-exempt foundations, even though they personally receive no tax benefit for setting them up. He maintains that despite their public declarations about philanthropy, they are in fact concerned only with maintaining the system that led to their prosperity, while leaving most of the global population in poverty.
However, the issue he addresses is that when individual financial power works in a global context, those individuals have greater influence while evading the payment of appropriate tax. They essentially work a system that creates massive wealth and they will ensure that the system is sustained before they champion philanthropy.
Even in South Africa, civil society is conscious of the sources of philanthropic funding. Some organisations that have made a Faustian agreement with a questionable donor find it difficult to operate in the civil society space.
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