WWF wins £3.5m VAT rebate

Link: Charity FDs slam VAT legislation

The mid-tier firm secured the final payment of £1m after negotiating with Customs over the treatment of membership subscriptions to the WWF.

Russell Moore, head of the VAT team advising the charity, said the firm believed most charities did not recover the full VAT they were entitled to because of the complexity of VAT rules.

‘I would encourage all charities to ensure they keep their VAT position under constant review to ensure they recover VAT wherever possible,’ Moore said.

Lee Jones, deputy chief executive of the WWF-UK was pleased with the reimbursement, but said he hoped the chancellor would relieve the burden completely at some time.

Earlier this year Saffery Champness helped RNLI – the Royal National Lifeboat Institution – secure a £4m VAT rebate.

Saffery Champness advises all charities to submit all claims for errors by 30 June 2003 for periods dating before December 1996.