AFL clubs risk misleading fans, breaking law by mixing membership benefits with charity

AFL clubs trying to convert membership payments into tax-deductible gifts are at risk of breaching federal consumer and tax law, and supporters could be left bearing the cost, experts have warned. Key points: Legal experts warn AFL clubs risk breaking the law with potentially misleading membership campaigns Port Adelaide changed its terms and conditions after questions from ABC News Membership "pledge" drives come as coronavirus restrictions undermine club revenues With the likelihood that members will be locked out of attending games for the foreseeable future, clubs have begun pleading with members not to seek refunds, instead urging them to convert some or all of their membership payment into a tax-deductible donation. The benefits of 2020 AFL club membership cannot flow from a tax-deductible "donation" under Australian law. "By blurring the proposals on membership with several benefits and tax deductibility, it is likely that members may assume they can get both the benefits and the tax deduction — that is not the case," said Murray Baird, a not-for-profits law expert and former Assistant Commissioner to the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission. Australian Sports Foundation CEO Partick Walker told ABC News he believed the clubs' declarations about 2020 membership had been "appropriately clear".