NZ bastards: No tax relief offered for freezing people

Freezing people for a new life in the future is not a worth a tax break, at least not in New Zealand.

The Department of Internal Affairs has declined charitable status to two organisations linked to keeping old age at bay or, failing that, freezing people until mankind can.

The Foundation for Reversal of Solid State Hypothermia and the Foundation For Anti-aging Research both argued they were worthy of tax-free status because they were funding furthering education and health, namely making people live longer.

In its application to the department, the first charity said this could be achieved by researching cloning, genetic engineering and "cryopreserving" or freezing.

It could even include "uploading" someone's identity to a computer so that it could be "downloaded" into a new body, or possibly a robot, in the future.

The foundation is also funding the proposed "Timeship Project" complex in Texas, built to house companies dedicated to "life extension and reanimation science".

The second foundation, for anti-age research, said it was planning to build an "anti-ageing" hospital in New Zealand but had abandoned the idea after funding fell through.

But arguments that anti-ageing and freezing people could revolutionise the world failed to sway the department.

In its decision, it said not only was de-thawing and reanimating the technically deceased not "feasible" but it was also not particularly charitable.

The department, and before it the Charities Commission, has declined or stripped tax-free charitable status from dozens of organisations - including Greenpeace and Family First - although some have since successfully fought to have it restored.

Both foundations have a trustee in common, Derek Smith, and links to the United States "cryonics" organisations.

Two of the trustees for the first foundation, Saul Kent and William Faloon, founded the Life Extension Foundation, which does similar work in the US.

Several companies in the US offer to freeze people for tens of thousands of dollars in the hope that future technology will allow them to be reanimated.

No-one from either organisation could be reached for comment yesterday.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/money/8988072/No-tax-relief-offered-for-freezing-people

NZ bastards: No tax relief offered for freezing people

NZ bastards: No tax relief offered for freezing people

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