The Ministry of the Interior (MOI) said it is keeping a close watch on the activities of organizations and groups that are raising funds for disaster relief in the wake of Typhoon Morakot.
The ministry urged groups that have launched or plan to launch post-typhoon fundraising drives across city and county lines to register with the MOI.
As of Tuesday, 23 fundraisers by government agencies had raised NT$5.71 billion (US$175 million), while 40 civic groups had raised NT$9.26 billion for disaster relief, MOI tallies showed.
According to Article 7 of the Charity Donations Destined For Social Welfare Funds Implementation Regulations (公益勸募條例), fundraising groups should file applications and proposals with the relevant local governments detailing the amount they plan to raise and over what period of time, an MOI official said.
However, most groups have been raising funds outside the limits of the administrative regions where they are registered, the official said.
Groups that have been accepting donations for two weeks without proper permission and those that have obtained funds in excess of the stipulated amount should report to the MOI, the official added.
According to Article 13 of the regulations, fund raising organizations should file applications with the MOI within seven days of opening a dedicated bank account for disaster relief donations, the official said.
Many groups have not opened a dedicated bank account, but have been using their regular accounts to accept donations, the official said.
Many local governments, including Taipei City, Kaohsiung City, Taoyuan County and Penghu County, have also made this oversight, the official added.
Another MOI concern is how the donations are used, the official said. Not a single fundraising group has joined an MOI initiative calling for organizations and agencies to “adopt” a storm-battered area, the official said.
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