Prime Minister David Thompson (left) and the Barbados Red Cross Society director general Edmond Bradshaw, discussing the $1 million donation. At right is Sir Allan Fields.

GOVERNMENT HAS DONATED $1 million and leased 1/2 acre of prime land in Warrens, St Michael, to the Barbados Red Cross Society to help it build a new headquarters.

In addition, Prime Minister David Thompson promised yesterday that his administration would look at providing tax incentives to people who donate money to charities.

Speaking at the Society's fund appeal breakfast at the Island Inn Hotel, Aquatic Gap, Garrison, St Michael, Thompson said the laws relating to charities were "unsatisfactory" and needed to be updated.

"The method of supporting charitable-giving, and the manner in which income tax concessions are granted for that charitable-giving, were in many cases not supportive to people who may want to make small donations," he said.

There were no reasons, he added, why those who made large donations, including the business and private sectors, not get significant financial benefits in return.

"We have agreed to look at [income tax consessions], and at the laws relating to charity, to ensure that there is better management, and an oversight of the operation of the charity, and secondly, to find an easier way to give people benefits from making a contribution to charities, particularly financial contributions.

"I want to fully endorse this project and vindicate, if there was any doubts, that Government is giving its commitment and that the new Government wants to even strengthen that commitment, not only by agreeing to make the contribution as promised of one $1 million to the construction of the new headquarters," he said.

In 1999 fire destroyed the society's secretariat at Jemmott's Lane, St Michael, and disrupted a number of its outreach programmes.

The Prime Minister also suggested that the local Red Cross link its national programme with the soon-to-be implemented constituency council, "so the resources that Government makes available to those entities, can be targeted towards helping organisations, such as the Red Cross, to run community programmes particularly in the area of disaster and preparedness management." (TM)