Nearly 1,700 registered charities are at risk of losing their charity status with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC).
Commissioner of the national charity regulator, Susan Pascoe AM, explained that the charities had failed to report to the ACNC previously and the next reporting deadline was fast approaching.
“Registered charities must submit an Annual Information Statement to the ACNC each year,” said Pascoe.
“These charities have already failed to submit an Annual Information Statement for either 2013 or 2014, and are now just days away from being overdue for 2015 as well.
“This means these charities are about to become what we refer to as ‘double defaulters’, which is grounds for revocation of charity status.”
Pascoe said she believes a number of these charities have wound up; however some are likely still operating.
“I encourage people to check the list and if they are associated with one of the charities, or know someone that is, please contact the ACNC immediately,” said Pascoe.
Pascoe warned that these charities were also at risk of losing their Commonwealth charity tax concessions.
“Registration with the ACNC is a prerequisite for attaining Commonwealth charity tax concessions such as deductible gift recipient status, income tax exemption, Fringe Benefits Tax rebates, and Goods and Services Tax concessions,” she said.
“Charities that have their status revoked by the ACNC will no longer be able to access Commonwealth charity tax concessions.”
A further 15,000 charities are also due to submit their Annual Information Statement by 30th June.
“As well as being a legislative requirement, reporting to the ACNC on time shows the community that the charity is committed to transparency,” Pascoe said.
“Once a charity submits its Annual Information Statement, the Charity Register is updated, giving the community an insight into the important work the charity is doing for the community.
“The Charity Register is becoming an increasingly popular source of information about Australia’s charities. In just over three and a half years, it has received over 1.5 million views.”