Would paying for a friend to go on a Pilgrimage qualify as a Charitable Donation?

[Martini Enfield]

I was wondering about this at work today as I was watching a TV report about the upcoming Papal Visit to Sydney (No, I'm not Catholic, but my wife's family are and they seem to think it's a Pretty Big Deal.)

Anyway, it got me thinking. Let's say someone had a friend who wanted to undertake a Pilgrimage to Lourdes or Jerusalem or somewhere like that/The Hajj to Mecca/Seek an Audience with the Pope or the Archbishop of Canterbury/Some other Religiously motivated Journey to a place of Major Religious Significance, and said friend couldn't afford it.
But you, being the generous person you are, have a spare $10,000 sitting in a rainy day account, and have offered to pay for the Pilgrimage out of the goodness of your heart and because you're a nice person who wants to help your friends.

Could you then claim the costs of the trip as a Charitable Donation, thus claiming the appropriate Tax Benefits?

It goes without saying that the answer will vary depending where you are, but even so I'd still be interested to hear how it works...

[scout1222]

WARNING PDF - The IRS rules for Charitable Donations

http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p526.pdf

Typically you can only deduct things made to qualified charities. You'll see on page one of that PDF that donations to individuals are explicitly disallowed.

(Obviously this is for the US - I just noticed that's not where you are.)

[Duck Duck Goose]

Call these people and ask them. At the bottom, under "Contact Us".

[jtgain]

Originally Posted by scout1222

WARNING PDF - The IRS rules for Charitable Donations

http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p526.pdf

Typically you can only deduct things made to qualified charities. You'll see on page one of that PDF that donations to individuals are explicitly disallowed.

(Obviously this is for the US - I just noticed that's not where you are.)

Makes sense, but (in the US) couldn't you just make a donation to his church or mosque with the wink-wink or even outright stipulation that this money is to help John Doe take his trip?

[Martini Enfield]

Originally Posted by jtgain

Makes sense, but (in the US) couldn't you just make a donation to his church or mosque with the wink-wink or even outright stipulation that this money is to help John Doe take his trip?

Thats what I was wondering. And yes, I could call the ATO and ask them, but it was just an idle thought and I'd rather call upon the myriad experiences of others on the board than pester the tax department with hypothetical questions...

[Aspidistra]

In Australia, if you are a charity, you generally have to jump through a number of hoops to make your charity tax deductible. One of the things which will get your tax-deductible status refused, is if it is for purely religious purposes. So in this specific instance, you're out of luck.