Taxpayers support lavish Hillsong lifestyle
Refer http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/sunday-telegraph/taxpayers-support-lavish-hillsong-lifestyle/story-e6frewt0-1225896526584

THE tax office wants a special national body set up to monitor “not for profit” charities, admitting that churches – such as the multi-million-dollar phenomenon Hillsong – are literally “invisible” to it.

And the sector is expanding so rapidly that $31 billion a year is now being drawn out of the federal Budget in tax exemptions to the ever-growing list of groups claiming church and charity status.

The push to put not-for-profit groups under greater fiscal scrutiny comes amid revelations that senior pastors of the Hillsong mega-church and their families are enjoying lavish lifestyles virtually tax-free.

Critics say Hillsong – which makes millions by routinely demanding its followers hand over at least 10 per cent of their salaries for the church coffers – exploits tax exemptions designed to help small, struggling churches.

The Sunday Telegraph can reveal that Hillsong founder Brian Houston uses a not-for-profit company – Leadership Ministries Inc (LMI) – to fund a burgeoning, tax-free global preaching empire.

LMI and other tax-free companies in the Hillsong network are able to provide housing, cars, overseas travel, accommodation, credit cards and other perks free of fringe benefits or income tax.

And since LMI was set up in 2001, the Houston family’s relationship with the company has included:

Property deals that have earned Brian Houston and his wife Bobbie $1.4 million. The Houstons are still tenants of waterfront properties at Bondi Beach and the Hawkesbury River that they sold to LMI.

A $1 million, fringe benefits tax-free expense account each year for five people, including the Houstons.

The use of vehicles worth more than $120,000.

Fully funded overseas tours where Brian Houston can earn $US20,000 a speech in “love offerings” on the preaching circuit.

The refund of all goods and services tax paid by the Houstons in their pastoral duties back to LMI.

The creation of a network of Hillsong subsidiaries in South Africa, Britain, Sweden and Ukraine.

The Sunday Telegraph has also learnt that the Australian Taxation Office reviewed LMI’s tax-free status this year and has re-affirmed it, despite growing concerns about a lack of accountability in the not-for-profit sector.

ATO Assistant Commissioner Michael Hardy told a recent Senate inquiry he lacked the staff to monitor religious organisations.

Once tax-free status was granted, churches were “technically invisible to the tax office”, Mr Hardy said.

On the push for a special national body to oversee charities, Mr Houston told The Sunday Telegraph: “I would welcome a charities commission … to avoid continued speculation surrounding charities doing legitimate work in the community.”

Mr Houston said his total salary was “just over $300 000″.

The ATO defines salary as cash payments, excluding fringe benefits and exemptions.

Pentecostal preacher Philip Powell, a critic and former Assemblies of God national secretary, said Hillsong, which has a congregation of more than 20,000, should be stripped of its tax-exempt status.

“It should be recognised for what it is: a corporation, not a church,” Mr Powell said. “Hillsong is really just a sales and marketing operation.

“If you took out the religious aspect, a company like that would have to pay thousands of dollars in fringe-benefits tax each year.”

Lobby group Taxpayers Australia spokesman Roger Timms wants the Government to adopt Treasury secretary Ken Henry’s recommendation that tax exemptions for churches be replaced with direct grants.Under the Tax Act, there is no cap on the amount of expenses churches can pay ministers of religion before incurring fringe-benefits tax.

Mega-churches such as Hillsong have taken full advantage of this, rewarding its leaders tax-free, the pastor of a church aligned to Hillsong says.

A former Assemblies of God pastor, who declined to be named, said: “It’s what many of the AOG churches are doing. Hillsong can legally pay all of Brian Houston’s salary as fringe benefits, so he can end up paying no tax whatsoever.”

A Hillsong spokesman said: “We do not pay Brian Houston or any ministerial staff 100 per cent, or anywhere close to that amount, in fringe benefits.”

Mr Houston added: “My salary has been consistent throughout the year and includes fringe benefits. I pay personal income tax.”

Assemblies of God pastors typically take at least 75 per cent of their salaries as tax-free benefits.

This provision was meant to help small churches retain low-paid staff, not for those like Hillsong, which earns $50 million a year.

“The Government has an opportunity to make the tax system more fair by closing the loopholes that exist for churches,” Mr Timms said.

House prices post largest fall since April 2008
Read more: http://www.news.com.au/money/property/house-prices-post-first-fall-since-april-2008/story-e6frfmd0-1225899002446#ixzz0vAOWPxCv

• House price values fall 0.7pc in June quarter
• Beginning of “period of price consolidation”
• Homeowners safe from rate hike on Tuesday

AVERAGE house price values have fallen for the first time in 17 months as interest rate hikes begin to bite.

Prices across the nation’s capital cities fell 0.7 per cent, latest research from RP Data shows.

But experts say there is unlikely to be a significant downturn – as constantly predicted by a range of overseas experts – because of a national housing shortage.

In the three months to June, all capital cities experienced virtually no growth or a fall in values, with the exception of Adelaide, the RP Data-Rismark Hedonic Home Value Index has found.

Despite being the largest monthly fall since April 2008, RP Data’s Tim Lawless said the result was not surprising.

“We’ve been seeing the writing on the wall, because we’ve also seen auction clearance rates deteriorating, we’ve seen housing finance commitments falling, suggesting demand in the marketplace has been abating,” Mr Lawless said.

ANZ economist David Cannington also said the result was expected given the market had undergone so many months of continuous growth.

“While there was a fall in the month, still in annual terms, house prices are still 10.5 per cent higher than what they were a year ago,” he said.

Bubble won’t burst

The past few months have seen numerous predictions that Australia was experiencing an unprecedented and unsustainable housing bubble.

The Economist magazine earlier this month declared that Australian property had the poorest return on investment of the 20 countries it evaluated and US financial commentator Edward Chancellor estimated Australian house prices were more than 50 per cent above their fair value.

But local experts questioned these assertions, pointing to an undersupply of housing in the country.

Australian Property Monitors estimates there is a shortage of 200,000 dwellings in Australia, which has helped to put a floor under house prices.

ANZ’s Mr Cannington said predictions of a sharp fall in house prices were incorrect.

“We think the underlying fundamentals of the Australian housing market support house price growth, so we don’t think it’s going to pop and house prices are going to collapse,” he told news.com.au. “The Australian market is entering a period of flat growth or some consolidation.

“I think it’s the end of the levels of growth that we saw last year, that’s pretty clear, but I don’t expect that we’ll see entrenched falls in house prices.

“This is just part of the cycle of coming back from those high growth rates.”

Mr Cannington said the slowdown showed the recent round of interest rate increases had impacted housing affordability.

“I don’t think (the RBA) wanted to see house prices growing at the rates they were growing at,” he said.

RP Data’s Mr Lawless said basic housing market fundamentals remained “relatively healthy”.

“If we were seeing mortgage default rates escalating then that would set off some alarm bells,” he said.

Quiet market ahead

Mr Lawless said with pre-listing activity slowing down, buyers could expect fewer properties entering the market.

“We may see further declines, we may see some further increases, but it’s essentially going to be a flat market going forward,” he said.

There would be “more power” returning to buyers in coming months.

“It’s more swinging to a buyer’s market, because vendors have certainly had the power over the past 18 months or so,” he said.

He said the Reserve Bank would be pleased with the result, with homebuyers almost guaranteed to be safe from a rate rise after next Tuesday’s monthly board meeting.

“Concerns about housing affordability and inflation have certainly been top of mind for the RBA,” he said.

A weaker than expected inflation result earlier this week, combined with a housing market slowdown, would stave off an August rate rise, he said.

星空のラビリンス
作詞: 安藤芳彦　
作曲: 山梨鐐平　
編曲: 奥慶一
歌: 下成佐登子

かがやく星空に　話しかけても
なかなか　答えては　もらえない
星ふる夜は一人　空をみあげてみよう

Whisper Whisper
ささやいて　伝説の世界ヘ
Take me Take me
旅をする　夜空を飛ぼうよ
明日は会えるだろう　ほほえみ合える人に

かがやく星空に　話しかけたら
心が少しだけ　軽くなる

誰かの優しさが　ほしい夜には
なかなか　眠れない　さみしくて
星ふる夜は一人　空をみあげてみよう

Twilight Twilight
もう一度　ときめき探しに
Fly away Fly away
舞上がれ　翼を広げて
迷子になった時は　愛の光の中ヘ

誰かの優しさが　ほしい夜には
心が少しだけ　寒くなる

Whisper Whisper
ささやいて　伝説の世界ヘ
Take me Take me
旅をする　夜空を飛ぼうよ
明日は会えるだろう　ほほえみ合える人に

かがやく星空に　話しかけたら
心が少しだけ　軽くなる

Reference – http://dailynews.sina.com/bg/chn/chnpolitics/chinanews/20100110/18061099117.html

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/none/all-dogs-go-to-heaven-church-sign-debate-funny-512895/

“羅賓漢大冒險” (港譯 “俠盜羅賓漢”) 是90年代的日本動畫, 故事很棒! 我家還有一些以前的錄影帶呢. 以下是主題曲 Wood Walker 的歌詞.

作詞: 安藤芳彦　
作曲: 山梨鐐平　
編曲: 奥慶一
歌: 下成佐登子

Happy Walk Happy Walk 夢を探して　森を　歩こう
Lonely Walk Lonely Walk 風に吹かれて　一人　歩こう

瞳の中にうつる　みどりの世界が
きみに勇気をくれる　何もおそれない

いつでも　一人じゃない
森の優しさに　抱かれる時　人は
強く生きる事　思い出すよ
Happy Walk Happy Walk　空を見上げて　一人　歩こう

Happy Song Happy Song　誰も知らない　歌が　流れる
Lonely Song Lonely Song　耳を澄ませば　いつも　聞こえる

心の中に響く　不思議なメロディー
僕に勇気をくれる　夢を忘れない

悲しい　時はいつも
森の優しさが　懐かしくて　一人
みどりの小道を　歩き出すよ
Happy Song Happy Song　広い世界が　君を待ってる

Happy Walk Happy Walk　夢を探して　森を　歩こう
Lonely Walk Lonely Walk　風に吹かれて　一人　歩こう
Happy Song Happy Song　誰も知らない　歌が　流れる
Lonely Song Lonely Song　耳を澄ませば　いつも　聞こえる

Happy Walk Happy Walk　夢を探して　森を　歩こう