religious and ethnic charities should be discouraged and not be eligible for tax relief

Debate accepted. Pro asserts that because we live in "secular society", religious and ethnic charities should not be supported. Firstly, it's because we live (although, naturally this doesn't apply to every country) in a secular society that groups representing minorities should have the freedom to exist. Pro then implies that religious and ethnic charities somehow undermine citizens possessing the same rights, however, the standing of religious and ethnic charities has absolutely no effect on the rights of other citizens within the community. Rather such charities do not seek to infringe the rights of others but to protect and promote the rights of the people belonging to that charity. Pro exclusively singles out religious and ethnic charities and fails to recognize the fact that all charities, whether religious or non-religious, ethnic or non-ethnic, support a specific cause. Does this mean that the rights of people not affiliated with this cause are violated? Naturally, the answer is no. Alluding to Pros assertion that:"religious charities serve the purpose to provide charity to the needy within their own religious communities." The fact is that all charities serve the purpose of providing assistance to the needy and those who fit the interests of that charity--each one represents different causes, and different minorities. Once more all emphasis is placed on religious and ethnic charity only. "If a religious organisation wants to organise charitable collections, then they must be audited to ensure that the benefit of the charity goes to a wide spectrum of a nations/communities' people and certainly not distributed as loyalty/reward points to a private members' club."If religious organizations were to ensure that all collections go towards a "wide spectrum" of nations/communities, the purpose of the said charity would of course be contradicted. More importantly, the legality of such a scheme is also questionable, particularly if the religious charity is non-consenting. One could also use the same argument that non-religious charities specializing in areas of poverty, homelessness, various forms abuse protection, financial assistance services, and so on also apply to be audited to ensure that its funds go towards other minorities in need. In terms of practicality, the funding that could be expended on each cause would be extremely limited and therefore very little benefit would be received. Concerning the resolution, I'd also like to highlight to Pro that all charities (religious or otherwise) are eligible for tax relief providing that the money and financial contributions be used for the charity and its causes. My own case can be made on the fact that religious and ethnic charities are legally within rights to operate and support the individuals being represented through them. A U.K Government Article states: [1.1] "Charities may claim exemption from tax on most forms of income and capital gains, if they’re applied to charitable purposes."[1.2] "Once a body has been accepted as being a charity for tax purposes, it normally retains its charitable status until such time as it ceases to exist either in its original form or altogether."Why exactly should religious or ethnic charities be exempt? Any "fair society" would allow the existence of such charities providing they adhere and cooperate fully with law. In addition, not all religious charities do only support people exclusively belonging to them. Christian organizations for example have consistently offered voluntary and financial support to those in Africa and other impoverished countries. Religious people are in fact heavily encouraged to give and provide contribution to those in need. Judaism also remains as one the largest providers, with large percentages of the Jewish community in the U.S donating to charity; many of which are actually non-Jewish. [1.] http://download.pwc.com...[2.] https://www.gov.uk...[3.] http://philanthropy.com...