Small charitable donations bill put before parliament
Charities will be able to claim top-up payments on small donations under a bill put before parliament
CHARITIES will be able to claim top-up payments on up to £5,000 of small donations, without the need of gift aid declarations, under a bill put before parliament.
The changes are known as the gift aid small donations scheme (GASDS), with the aim of allowing charities and community amateur sports clubs (CASCs) to claim a gift aid-style payment on small donations where it is difficult to qualify for gift aid donation.
Charities and CASCs will then be able to claim top-up payments on small donations of up to £20. Qualifying charities and CASCs will be able to claim up to £1,250 in repayment.
Chloe Smith, economic secretary to the Treasury, said the government is “committed to encouraging charitable giving and building a more socially conscious society”.
She said: “Key to this is building a stronger culture of giving. The proposals in this Bill are part of that drive.
“The scheme will particularly help small charities that rely on bucket collections, where it is impractical to get the paperwork required under gift aid. They will now be able to claim a gift aid-style payment on small donations without the need to collect donors’ details.
“The gift aid small donations scheme will boost the income of charities, unlocking about £100m more funding for charities a year by 2015-16.”
The bill is to come into force from April 2013.