Gift Aid
The Gift Aid scheme introduced by
the UK government on 6th April 2000 allows charities to claim from the
government the basic rate of tax paid by a donor to the charity. The donor must
have confirmed that they pay either income tax or capital gains tax. They
do this via a gift aid declaration. They also have to have paid enough tax to
cover the sum reclaimed.
Until 2011,
the amount of basic rate tax that can be reclaimed via a gift aid declaration is
28%. Thereafter the amount will be reduced. Higher rate tax payers should
declare their donations on the tax assessment.
Gift Aid only
applies to gifts. It can not be used in conjunction with a payment for goods or
services (for example, when buying merchandise) or for raffle tickets. It can be
used for Lodge offertories using gift aid envelopes, available from the MSF.
If used in
conjunction with a sponsored event, the money raised comes from the sponsors,
not from the person being sponsored. Therefore the sponsors must ask for their
payment to be treated as a gift aid donation and the sponsorship forms should
allow for this.
There is no
longer an upper limit to the amount that may be donated under a gift aid
declaration.
Gift-aid
declarations may be made to cover donations made to the charity in the past but
not before 6th April 2000.
In the case of the Derbyshire Festival 2014, the relevant
charity is the Masonic Samaritan Fund (MSF). In the case of all donations made
directly to the Fund, whether one-off, regular giving or those made via gift aid
envelopes, the Fund will reclaim the tax from the government.
Where transfers are made from
Lodge Relief Chests, operated by the Freemasons' Grand Charity, the Grand
Charity will have already reclaimed the tax made on the donations that were paid
into the Relief Chest. Such transfers must be made using the blue Relief Chest
form and be accompanied by a list of donors and the amounts donated in their
names. These amounts will include the gift aid reclaimed and the interest
earned on individual donations.
Please return to the download
section of the Festival website for the forms used to make gift aid declaration
and the guidance notes for using gift aid envelopes. The envelopes are
available directly from the MSF on 020 7404 1550.
Further
information about Gift Aid is available on the following Revenue & Customs
website (click on the logo):
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