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Worries for island churches and voluntary organisations

Churches and voluntary organisations in the Western Isles are likely to be hard hit if proposals by the Scottish Executive to change the charging arrangements for non-domestic water and sewerage services proceed.

The Church of Scotland's General Assembly next month will hear how the plans to stop water charge exemptions for charities could hit congregations up and down the country in the pocket.

And there are fears in the Western Isles that some voluntary organisations would not be able to offer their present services.

At the moment, charitable organisations are exempt from the usual charges for non-domestic water and sewerage services. This exemption scheme has been in place since 2001, although the Executive are currently consulting on a proposal that would see the exemption scrapped after 2010.

Church of Scotland minister, Rev Andrew Coghill of Lochs, said: "Taken together with the proposed changes to what can constitute charitable status (which may in turn affect Gift Aid claims and the amount of tax which charities can reclaim), this is a potentially alarming development, and does not augur well for the direction in which our country is going."

He went on: "Given that the objective here can only be to raise more revenue for the Executive, one cannot help but wonder why churches and other charities have been targeted in this way. By their very nature, charitable organisations have to watch every penny.

"The same could not be said of the Scottish Executive. Are hard-pressed churches and charities now being made to suffer to finance the £400m Parliament building?" he added.

Full story at Stornoway Gazette.