Tories call for Gift Aid on all tsunami donations

Link: Treasury to donate VAT from tsunami concert

The Conservatives are concerned that the tax relief will not apply to a significant chunk of the millions donated because the money has been taken in collection tins or by people failing to specify Gift Aid when donating on the phone.

Britain’s leading pharmacy chain, Boots, and the country’s largest bingo operator, Gala, are collecting tens of thousands of pounds from customers across the UK for the appeal, and both have backed the Tories’ call, according to reports in The Daily Telegraph.

Alan Duncan, shadow international development secretary, said: ‘Surely it would be right for the Disasters Emergency Committee to work out what proportion of its receipts does or does not qualify for Gift Aid? The Government should then top-up the committee’s appeal with the equivalent amount that would otherwise have come from Gift Aid-qualifying donations.’

However, a treasury spokesman was reported as saying that topping up the Gift Aid figure with public money was not possible because it would change it from tax relief to a government donation.