Dying with Dignity won’t fight Revenue Canada’s move to revoke its charitable status, and the head of the organization says her group will soon be “free’’ to endorse politicians who support physician-assisted suicide.

The revenue agency audited the organization last year for the period from Jan. 1, 2011 to Dec. 31, 2012 and sent a 24-page letter Friday telling Dying with Dignity it was originally registered as a charity “in error’’ and that its registration should be “annulled.’’

Being annulled under the Income Tax Act is a finding that means a charity was never registered.

The Toronto-based charity advocates for choice and dignity at the end of life. It provides information about patient rights, advance planning and education on the argument for physician-assisted death.

The CRA says the group was originally registered in 1982 with a “political purpose — to expand choice in dying, including by securing the legal right to die.

“It is our view, based on our review of the organization’s objects and activities on file from 1982, the organization was registered in error and ineligible for registration under the (Income Tax) Act at the time of its registration,’’ the revenue agency later states in Friday’s letter.

The government says that during that registration, Dying with Dignity’s statement of purposes and activities was “broad and vague enough’’ to allow the group to “substantially focus on political activities and appear to support a political purpose.’’

Wanda Morris, CEO of Dying with Dignity says her group has decided to accept the decision of the CRA. That means the group’s charitable status will end in 30 days.

“We won’t be opposing it, simply because it would be lengthy, time consuming, costly and a distraction from our core work,’’ Morris said in a telephone interview from Toronto.

She hinted strongly that once her group’s status is officially gone, it will use its website to begin endorsing politicians and parties who support the physician-assisted suicide position.

“We’ll be able to say here’s a candidate, come look,’’ Morris said.

“It’s unfortunate we’ll no longer be able to issue tax receipts, but it will also be a real freeing from constraints, because as a charity we’ve really had to follow careful guidelines from the (revenue agency). We’ll no longer need to do that,’’ Morris added.

The group will revert to a no-profit after the 30-day period elapses.

She said her group has been audited by the revenue agency in the past, re-registering previously without issue, “so it’s a bit puzzling why it’s happening now,’’ she said of the latest audit and Friday’s letter.

Dying with Dignity’s charitable status was revoked in February 2010 for failure to file. The group was re-registered in May 2011.

In its letter Friday the revenue agency says the group was “primarily focused” on promoting physician-assisted suicide when it re-registered, not charitable programs.

Included in the 2014 audit process was a lengthy list of requirements from the revenue agency, including demands for the group’s brochures, publications, newsletters, copies of all press releases and broadcasted statements, a challenge for the group to pull together, given there are only six staff in Toronto. Volunteers head up the organization’s 10 chapters across the province.

The group’s revenues for 2013 were about $400,000 and they expect to more than double that to just over $800,000 for the year-end 2014.

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Two years ago, Ottawa allocated extra money — now it’s up to $13 million per year — to probe charities and see if they’re misusing their charitable status and spending too much time and money and resources on political activities.

Groups that do development work overseas, environmental, anti-poverty and human rights work are among the charities that say they’ve been singled out for audits by the Conservative government, because they might hold views that conflict with the government’s.

With files from The Canadian Press

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