LISTEN: Should Buckfast lose its charity status?

The National Secular society want Buckfast stripped of its charitable status. The organisation believes the Abbey, where notorious wine Buckfast is brewed, should be considered a business rather than a charity.

The NSS say it's an abuse of the system as no income tax is being paid on the profits the Abbey makes, which last year reached £8.8 million, due to their charitable status and has called upon the Charity Commission to act ‘unless they change their activities’.

Buckfast tonic wine has been brewed by the monks at Buckfast Abbey for almost 100 years. The caffeine fuelled wine, which also contains red wine, phosphates and vanillin, has proven very popular in Scotland.

The Abbey has made nearly £90 million in royalties alone in recent years but the trust themselves have said that any money raised is for the ‘advancement of the Roman Catholic religion’ and therefore is a charitable organisation, however, NSS vice president Alistair McBay said ‘the monks should be setting an example as a religious organisation but the opposite is happening’

The drink has sparked controversy on its own over the years with the Scottish Prison Service reporting that 43% of inmates had admitted to drinking the tonic wine before committing an offense; this is despite the drink accounting for less than 1% of national alcohol sales.

NSS Chief executive Keith Porteous Wood has branded the drink harmful and asked for an examination of the Abbey’s eligibility as a charity.

The Buckfast Abby Trust said: "Buckfast Abbey is surprised to learn of the complaint made by the National Secular Society to The Charity Commission regarding its charitable status. If required, Buckfast Abbey will be speaking directly with The Charity Commission on this matter."

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