From: salyavin808 <no_re...@yahoogroups.com>
---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, <mjackson74@...> wrote : Wonder how come the Marshy Effect didn't prevent such a ruling?? English translation: ANBI status Transcendental Meditation foundation can be withdrawn 27-10-2014 13:13 • UN Today The Administration has rightly withdrawn ANBI status of a foundation that promotes the practice of Transcendental Meditation. That is the verdict court northern Netherlands came recently. According to the court edify its activities mainly private consumption interests of the participants. The foundation encourages the practice of Transcendental Meditation (TM) as taught by Maharishi Mahesh. Is a residential area this purpose achieved by the foundation in Lelystad. The Foundation for the maintenance of the district and subsidizes the school, the organic shop and vegetarian restaurant. Participants rent a house or buy. The participants and all persons belonging to their household, are also a monthly contribution payable to the foundation. In dispute is whether the status of public benefit institution (ANBI) of the foundation routed there by July 1, 2012 is revoked. Court Northern Netherlands ruled that the foundation with its activities, the private consumption interests of the participants mainly. To personal well-being and personal development of the participants have a beneficial effect on their environment. However, this effect is indirect and subordinate to the individual interests of the participants. Thus, the Foundation does not establish that the general interest of 90% or more (quantitative test) served by the activities of the foundation. The appeal of the foundation is unfounded. Erm, maybe Barry can translate that a bit better (or knows someone who can). I feel like my babel fish just died.... My Dutch is barely passable and certainly not legal-document-worthy yet, but what I get from this is that the government decided that activities in the seemingly TM-oriented "Sidhadorp" community of Lelystad were deemed to be for profit or purely for the benefit of the people living there, and thus did not meet the Dutch requirements to qualify as a non-profit (tax-free) organization. The result will likely be "back taxes" owed on everything associated with this location, including the school, the organic shop, vegetarian restaurant, and everything currently or previously sold by the Maharishi Ayurveda clinic there. Whether it affects TM in the Netherlands on a larger basis (that is, Vlodrop or other similar for-profit locations in Huizen or Limburg) is unclear. It appears from the last sentence that this decision may have been appealed by the community, and lost. In other words, their free ride as a non-profit organization is over. As Michael points out, how could this happen if the ME actually worked?
