What's Gift Aid and can I support Friends of the Earth using it?8 June 2011
Friends of the Earth is two distinct organisations:
- Friends of the Earth Limited is a registered company, number 1012357. Its activities mainly involve political lobbying, so it is not eligible for Gift Aid.
- Friends of the Earth Trust is a registered charity, number 281681. Its activities include awareness raising, environmental and educational research, educational projects, and campaigning that meets the charity's goals.
Being a charity offers significant tax breaks such as Gift Aid.
Using Gift Aid when you donate to a charity is a simple method of increasing the amount that you give. This is because for every pound you donate, the charity can claim an extra 28 pence (25 pence from 6th April 2011) from the Inland Revenue - this is the tax that you have already paid.
Gift Aid can be used for donations of any amount large or small and it does not matter how the donations are made, although CAF vouchers are not eligible.
You need to be a UK tax payer to make a donation using Gift Aid. Check your eligibility - you need to fall under at least one of the following categories:
- Tax is taken from your wages or salary before you receive your pay.
- You have to fill in a self-assessment form each year.
- You have any taxable savings (in a Building Society, for instance), a pension plan or investment income.
- If you have recently paid any capital gains tax, or expect to pay it in the near future. This could be on the sale of a property or some shares, for example.
Please note: inheritance tax does not count as UK income tax.
To find out how to support Friends of the Earth Trust using Gift Aid, please call us on 0800 581 051.
