Gift Aid Admission Prices

Becles

The National Trust do this. I was just looking at the admission prices as I might be taking a non-member tomorrow:

http://beta.nationaltrust.org.uk/home/prices/item248934/

jkmum

Alnwick Gardens and Centre for Life and Seven Stories in Newcastle are another 3. I'm not sure if it's because of Gift Aid rules though. I know when we've run community fundraising events, if we charge a specific entrance fee we can't claim gift aid, but if we just ask for donations on the door instead then we can. These venues all state the gift aid entrance fee includes an additional donation.

RebeccaBloomwood

I think I can explain this:

They cannot claim any tax back from normal ticket prices as it is not a donation, it is paying for a service. For them to be able to gift aid something it has to be a donation. So there is a separate type of ticket, a donation ticket, which has to cost slightly more, which they are then allowed to gift aid. It might cost you £1 more, but the charity would get a lot more than that back.

So by donating £1, the charity gets a lot more than that. Which sounds worth it overall, really.

cheekychappy

If only your straight description was able to be seen at the ticket office...it would make me feel happy to pay.

marksmith99

I love the way so many on here are quick to assume they are being scammed in some way. This site does many good things, but also breeds the mindset that everyone is trying to rip you off!

A quick google search shows, as Rebecca says above, the rules changed, this taken from the Burghley House website:

Gift Aid
Why are there two different admission prices?
Under the Gift Aid Scheme amendments introduced by the Government in April 2006, charities who offer entrance to an attraction based on a gift aid donation rather than an admission ticket must ask visitors to pay at least 10% extra than the normal admission fee. It is your choice whether you wish to do this or not.

More details on HMRC website here:

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/charities/gift_aid/rules/admissions.htm

bribri_2

As often the case it is worth visiting the source material - here is a link to the HMRC gift aid pages. http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/charities/gift_aid/rules/admissions.htm#1
paticularly item 2 donation of at least 10% above admission fee. This then allows gift aid to be claimed on the whole admission.

bigmomma051204

I don't think it is so much that people think they are being "scammed" with this..... i rarely take my family on day trips as we can't afford it. There are 3 of us and when we went to Paignton zoo (another place that does this 10% on top thing) it cost us an extra £4-something to get in. It may not sound much, but it would have paid for my little boys ice cream and part of the mini train ride around the zoo!

I am not tight at all, but i just feel that having to verbally say (usually in front of queues of people!) that i don't want to pay the extra for charity donation is highly embarassing (yes, as a moneysaver i shouldnt care i know lol!)

sarebear_2

that is the exact reason i am thinking about booking my tickets to paignton zoo online. there will be 5 of us going so i dont really want to pay extra on top. not being tight but just honestly cant afford to do it. and when they come up and ask you in front of everyone in the queue it gets embarrassing. so i think i will probably end up ordering online and then just hand the tickets in and say no more !

mxd321

I've been to a few places that offer gift aid admission but have never been asked to pay a higher amount. However, as noted above there are a few places that offer free return visits for a year if you have gift aided your entrance. Some examples that I have seen are:-

Black Country Museum
Dudley Canal Trust
Fleet Air Arm Museum

Even if I were asked to pay an extra £1 to gift aid my entrance fee the free return visits for a year a well worth it. Over the last couple of years I must have visited the Black Country museum a dozen times all for the price of 2 admission fees. Of course they make money each time I visit as not having paid to get in I always by food and drink there.

With regards to HMRC saying that places must charge extra if you are going to Gift Aid your entrance fee there must be a way around it if the attractions listed above can do it. Is it to do with the fact that you must be a tax payer to use gift aid - if you are not paying tax chances are you will be either a child, pensioner, student or recieving benefits all of which have a lower admission price anyway. by being an adult paying tax you are paying more for your admission anyway. Thoughts?

Whiteknight

On a trip to Dunster Castle I noticed that the National Trust was charging the higher admission price. They did have a board which displayed the prices but I noticed that everyone was paying the higher price.

When I went to pay I asked for an adult ticket and was quoted the higher price, when I questioned about the lower price I was told that I could pay that if I wanted to. Annoyed me that I was not quoted the standard price and asked if I wanted to pay the extra amount.

So OP you can pay the standard (lower) price.