Tax breaks for volunteering?

ShortFatBloke

I'm a search technician with a Search & Rescue team.  The organisation is a registered charity, and we are all 100% unpaid volunteers.  Over time, we tend to buy our own kit (anything from rucksacks to torches to food) to supplement what's been provided by the organisation.  Does anybody know if it is possible to claim back VAT on private purchases?

BoGoF

Fraid not.

ShortFatBloke

Yeah, I didn't think so

EnPointe

the best you can do , and there are always questiosn around whether it;s 100 % legit but AFAIK it;s never been tested in court 

encourage people to claim their  expenses fro the chairty,  but if people  are in positionto  not need their expenses ' they can always  make a gift aid covered donation of a a similar  amount. 

If you are buying your own kit  it's yours, there may be PUWER  ( and LOLER dependingon the type of SAR  you do ) issues  but that is outwith  this questions; remit ( quite a lot of healthcare organisations have policies where the only  personal kit you  can buy  is your own stethoscope everything else kit wise is supplied by the organisation)