The study reports three major areas of concern seriously impacting New Zealand communities, a lack of mental health support, insecure housing and inadequate incomes.

These areas of concern are forcing people to look beyond their own backyard towards their community for support.

The State of our Communities Report paints a dire picture of how community social services are being called on to help a rising number of families and people experiencing severe social strains.

It notes this is the first time many New Zealanders have had to reach out for help following a loss of income.

During the survey, the Salvation Army interviewed 564 residents and conducted 14 interviews with key community leaders from Rotorua, Johnsonville and Queenstown.

The questions focused on mental health, housing, income/employment, under the lenses of the Covid-19 recovery and Election 2020.

All three communities raised major concerns around access to mental health services and are "crying out for a serious effort" to deal with these deficiencies, the State of our Communities Report says.

Locals are consistently reporting increased stress, anxiety and hardship, which are affecting people's mental health.

Existing mental health issues were amplified by job losses, social isolation, lack of income and other social challenges that came with the lockdowns, highlighting the lack of mental health services.

Specific mental health issues for children and youth are also emerging from Covid-19, the survey found.

Housing affordability is the most concerning issue for Johnsonville respondents.

Over a third (38 percent) of the 141 residents interviewed have had their employment impacted due to Covid-19.

Mental health issues, inequities between locals, and challenges for the local refugee and migrant populations were also of concern.

Since Covid-19, the Johnsonville Salvation Army has seen increases in new clients to their social work, counselling and addictions services.

The numbers of addiction assessments completed by existing and new clients spiked between March and June 2020, signifying the challenges people are facing during Covid-19.

Overall, the existing housing problems in each community have magnified since the lockdowns began.

There are stories of homelessness in Rotorua and unaffordable rental or private housing, especially in Queenstown.

The report identifies employment and incomes, housing and mental health services as the most important social issues for the upcoming election 2020.

Source

• Wellington Scoop
• Image: The Salvation Army

South Korea has an estimated 360,000 priests and monks whose earnings will be re-classified as "religious income", rather than the current label of "honorarium".

A sliding scale means those earning 40 million won (US$34,500) or less a year will only be taxed on 20 per cent of their income.

At the upper end, those earning more than 150 million won will have to pay tax on 80 per cent of their income.

Public opinion polls have long favoured extending tax responsibilities to religious groups.

Some religious groups are highly secretive about their financial arrangements.

"Pastors who receive benefits and gifts outside of their monthly income and do not pay income taxes can be perceived as not doing their duties as members of the community," said Kim Ai-Hee, secretary general of the Korean Christian Alliance for Church Reform.

Catholic priests have voluntarily paid income tax since the mid-1990s, AFP reported.

But the most vocal opponents of the new tax policy are within the larger Protestant community which wields considerable political clout.

Some individual Protestant churches boast enormous congregations and considerable wealth, and are run like mini-fiefdoms with pastors passing control of the church and its business down to their children.

Last year, David Yonggi Cho, the pastor of the biggest congregation of all, at the Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul, was handed a three-year suspended jail term for embezzling millions of dollars.

But the opponents of taxation insist their stance is grounded in principle rather than self-interest.

"Taxing religious practitioners equates religious activities with commercial activities," a conservative Protestant group, the Commission of Churches in Korea, said in a statement.

A spokesman for the commission, Choi Kwi-Soo, also noted that Protestant pastors who, unlike monks and Catholic priests, generally marry and have families, would be hardest hit.

"They are different from monks or priests who can live on a relatively meagre income. That should be taken into account," Choi told AFP.

Sources

• AFP
• Image: Christian Post