A Fish Is Not A Chicken

A fish is a fish.

A chicken is a chicken.

Sure, there may be some similarities, but baring the obvious ones (i.e. both are living beings, both are food for humans), they remain separate beings.

You can’t judge a fish by a chicken’s standard, nor put a chicken in the environment of the fish.

If God meant for both to be treated the same, they wouldn’t be different in the first place.

Similarly…

A charity is a charity.

An Institute of Public Character (IPC) is an IPC.

An IPC may be a charity, but a charity is not necessarily an IPC.

Sure there may be similarities, but baring the obvious ones (i.e. both are charitable organizations, both exist for the general good of society), they remain separate beings.

You can’t judge a charity by an IPC’s standard, not should an IPC be treated as merely a charity.

If the government meant for both to be treated the same,  there won’t a distinction in the first place.

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According to the Charities Portal, charities are organizations set up for a specified charitable object, advancement of religion being one such acceptable object.

An IPC, on the other hand, has the added advantage of receiving tax-deductible receipts, and an IPC’s “activities must be beneficial to the community in Singapore as a whole, and not confined to sectional interests or group of persons based on race, creed, belief or religion.”

Hence, churches fall under the category of a charity, but would not be considered an IPC. Both a charity and IPC are subject to its own set of laws and regulations, with greater emphasis being placed on IPCs due to the tax-deductible donations.

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Much has been said about the recent probe into City Harvest. While no one really knows the direction this will be headed, one thing is for sure – it will be a long journey as we wait out CAD to complete their investigations. I don’t know about you, but as for me and my house, we are keeping the church and its leaders in prayer.

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