MacRoberts Charity Law e-update 03/02/10

CHARITIES FAILING TO CLAIM MILLIONS IN GIFT AID EVERY YEAR

An estimated £750 million of Gift Aid is going unclaimed by charities in the UK every year according to a report by the National Council for Voluntary Organisations and the Charities Aid Foundation. Gift Aid is worth a considerable amount of money to charities. In the last tax year alone, charities received around £1 billion by claiming Gift Aid on donations. However, as the report shows, there is a substantial amount of Gift Aid which charities are either not claiming properly or not claiming at all.

The report into the effect of the recession on charities also revealed an 11% decrease in charitable giving in the UK. It is, therefore, increasingly important at this time that charities claim all of the Gift Aid that is available to them and all ensure that donors are encouraged to Gift Aid their donations. Charities should review their procedures for receiving donations and consider whether any changes should be implemented to ensure Gift Aid is claimed where possible.

MacRoberts would be happy to assist you to maximise the income your charity receives from Gift Aid. For further information, please contact Ainsley MacLaren on 0131 229 5046 or James Inglis on 0141 332 9988.

© MacRoberts 2010

To register for MacRoberts e-updates on a variety of legal topics, please click here.