rspltd

I have tried a number of ways to find out the answer to my question but so far I have drawn a blank so I am hoping that someone on this forum may have the answer.

Is there an official body in Spain that monitors the activities of charities? (I know they have to be registered but nothing else seems to happen after that).
Is it possible to see published accounts and as in the UK for example know what proportion of monies given actually goes to the charity and is not absorbed in Administration or Director's fees as a for instance?

Val

I have no idea about this, does anyone have any information that might help ?

keddyboy

I am the Chairman of Alhaurin el Grande Royal British Legion. In order to carry out our duties we have to have a CIF No. This can be a long and ardious process. For the Royal British Legion to operate here in Spain we have to form an association which is allocated a CIF No. This entitles the 16 branches in Spain District South to collect monies for the Poppy Appeal and for these funds to be transfered to the UK without any tax obligation. If we did not have a CIF No then I, as Chairman, would be responsible for paying the tax on our collections prior to transferring the funds.

ELJEFE

Try einforma dot com, type in the charities name, or cif, then you can gain access to there accounts. Well anybodies accounts actually I mean ANYBODIES accounts. You have to pay but a quite reasonable amount, there are short accounts or major accounts.

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rspltd

Thank you for trying to solve the mystery keddyboy and eljefe. In the case of the British Legion it would appear that the Spanish authorities are less concerned about the activities but rather that they get any tax that may be due. I have now received advice from two lawyers if that can be considered definitive in Spain. There is no body - legal or otherwise -that monitors the activities of so called charities, there appears to be no requirement to register as a charity and having looked at the 'accounts' of two of the charities I am interested in, they tell very little and certainly not how much money goes in administration and Director's fees and what proportion of the money actually gets to the cause it was originally intended to be for. Small wonder that there have been a number of scams over the years.

Val

Thank you for the update.

keddyboy

To be registered as a charity in Spain, you HAVE to have a CIF Number. The charity, a format of an association, which is governed by the Lay Organic statutes that Spain has in place. You are correct in saying that most charities out here no registered but beware, no cif no means that sooner or later the accounts will be audited and taxed heavily plus fine. With a CIF No. the charity does not pay tax on monies collected and banked. The Royal British Legion is part of an Association which has a CIF No. which umberellas all 16 branches in Spain South. This allows us to collect for the Poppy Appeal and apart from certain expenses incurred by the executive committees all the money goes to the benificiaries. The charities who collect without a CIF No do so illegally.

rspltd

Thanks for that clarification keddyboy - as I said the CIF number iseems to be more about tax (or avoiding paying it) than monitoring the activities of the charity. it would seem that anyone can form an associatio, get a CIF number and then go out and collect. There doesn't seem to be any mechanism whereby you can find out whether some/any money goes to the particular good cause and whether the Directors/trustess are soaking it up in costs or salaries.

ELJEFE

Well surely, If your give a sum of money to the Cruz Rojo for example,they would give a receipt for monies received? Normally, say like the Masons they have a ceromony and fotos in local press etc. Why isn't your charity doing this?
In any business all monies have to be accounted for.

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http://stores.ebay.es/historiaespana

rspltd

I fear you're missing the point. If you put money in a tin or collecting box you rarely receive a receipt. In the UK for example a Charity would be responsible to the Trustees and the Charities Commission who would monitor them and make sure that money is going to the chosen cause but perhaps more importantly that excessive running costs, Director's salaries etc are not absorbing most of the money received. Furthermore the accounts would be published and open to all to scrutinise. This mechanism doesn't seem to exist in Spain.