Australian Sex Party Calls for Overhaul of Religious Tax Exemptions

MELBOURNE, Australia — Australian Sex Party President Fiona Patten is calling on her country’s government to overhaul tax concessions provided to churches and religious organizations — groups that often fight against personal liberties.

Patten said churches own billions of dollars worth of real estate and successful businesses and are getting a free ride. These groups also often battle progressive issues like same sex marriage and abortion rights.

The party leader also pointed out that Australia is one of the few countries in the world that still allows these tax breaks.

“At a time when the latest figures are showing that less than 8 percent of Australians are regular church-goers it would come as a shock to many Australians that churches are managing to avoid taxes by some billions of dollars,” Patten said.

She added, “A conservative estimate is that income tax exemptions alone to churches and religious organizations cost taxpayers nearly $20 billion a year. Add to that GST concessions, exemptions from capital gains tax (on property and share trading) and the Fringe Benefits Tax Exemption and the cost to tax payers is staggering.”

The Sex Party noted that Sanitarium, owned by the Seventh Day Adventists, is said to have nearly 25 percent of the cereal market valued at over $300 million dollars, is not subject to company tax, and has gained an unfair advantage over its competitors.

Patten added that the exact figure on the amount of taxes not paid by churches is unknown because they report to no one. “After years of lobbying against a charities commission, the churches finally acquiesced leading to the newly formed Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) but alas buried deep in the legislation is an exemption for churches from the reporting requirements placed on other charities,” Patten said.

Despite the claim that they do “good works,” Patten said that the charitable works should be transparent and accounted for (and receive a tax deduction) just as a regular company would do.

Under Australian Tax Office (ATO) rules, to qualify as a charity an organization will qualify even if its sole purpose is for “the advancement of religion.”Patten pointed out that this means the taxpayers are effectively subsidizing everyone from the local priest right through to powerful groups such as the Australian Christian Lobby who argue against many things that the bulk of Australians belief in, such as same sex marriage, ethics classes, abortion drugs, and voluntary euthanasia.

“I will campaign to remove the ‘advancement of religion’ clause from the ATO definition of charity,” Patten said. “Furthermore I am totally committed to abolishing tax concessions for all religions. If their profits are directed to truly charitable causes they should have no fear being accountable just like all other organizations.”

Related:  

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Australian eSafety Commissioner Demands Stricter Child Protection Codes

Australia’s online safety regulator, eSafety, is once again reviewing a “final” draft of industry codes to protect children from pornography and other age-inappropriate content, after eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant rejected the previously announced “final” codes as insufficiently stringent.

Kyrgyzstan Parliament Moves to Outlaw Internet Pornography

A parliamentary committee of the Supreme Council of Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday approved a measure to outlaw online adult content in the country.

Sweden Bans Purchase of 'Remote' Sexual Services

The Riksdag, Sweden’s parliament, has approved a proposal to criminalize purchasing sexual services performed remotely by streamers and custom content creators.

AV Bulletin: Arizona's About-Face, What New Laws Mean for Adult

Industry stakeholders and free speech advocates have anxiously been awaiting the Supreme Court’s decision in Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton, which could significantly impact state age verification laws around the United States. In the meantime, state legislatures continue to weigh and pass AV bills, the U.K. and the EU are moving ahead with their own AV mandates and strategies, and legal challenges continue to play out in U.S. courts — with some cases on hold pending the SCOTUS ruling in Paxton.

FSC Addresses UK Age Verification Guidelines

The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has published an article offering guidance on the U.K.'s Online Safety Act and the various guidelines put forward by the country's telecommunications regulator Ofcom.The article follows:

European Commission Posts AV Guidelines, Seeks Feedback

The European Commission has made public its draft guidelines on protecting minors online under the Digital Services Act, including age verification requirements covering adult sites and platforms.

Sex Workers' Group Fights Proposed Swedish Ban on 'Remote' Sexual Services

The European Sex Workers’ Rights Alliance (ESWA) has launched a campaign against a Swedish government proposal to expand current laws against purchasing sexual services to apply to acts performed remotely by streamers and custom content creators.

FSC: Arizona Governor Signs Controversial Age Verification Law

Free Speech Coalition has released a statement regarding Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs signing the state's age verification bill into law.

NCOSE Sues 4 Adult Websites Under Kansas Age Verification Law

The National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE), a conservative anti-pornography organization, has sued four adult websites in Kansas under the state's age verification law.

2025 XBIZ Miami Show Schedule Announced

XBIZ is pleased to announce the release of the full show schedule for XBIZ Miami, the adult industry's biggest summer conference, set to take place May 19-22 at the Nautilus Sonesta Miami Beach hotel.

Show More