Can I claim Tax Relief on non-Gift Aid donations

samthelamanite

I am new at this so not sure if I'm doing the right thing as I posted this as a comment on another thread ...

I am a pensioner and donate regularly to my church using gift aid. However, I also donate around £200 each year to the church youth camp, but my church tells me that they cannot claim the tax as it's for a specific purpose.

Can I mark this as a charitable donation on my tax return (and thus claim relief)? As far as I am concerned, I do not benefit from the donation, I do not have an interest, the youth who attend camp benefit.
???

NorthYorkie

No you can't

On-the-coast

Yes - best to start your own thread like you’ve done here. 

In my opinion (as the chair of trustees of several charities) I’m not aware of any general exclusion on donations to specific projects being non-giftaidable. 

You’ve noted a few valid reasons and say they don’t apply in your case. 

However, if the charity itself thinks the gift is non-giftaidable then you probably shouldn’t claim it on your return. 

I’d be interested to know why the church thinks this specific project is non-gift able.  Does the youth event not align with its charitable objectives? (That’s the only reason I can think of)

anniecave

My church generally is not a registered charity. It's quite common.  So our church generally can't claim gift aid on donations either. 

Grumpy_chap

samthelamanite said:

I am new at this so not sure if I'm doing the right thing as I posted this as a comment on another thread ...

I am a pensioner and donate regularly to my church using gift aid. However, I also donate around £200 each year to the church youth camp, but my church tells me that they cannot claim the tax as it's for a specific purpose.

Can I mark this as a charitable donation on my tax return (and thus claim relief)? As far as I am concerned, I do not benefit from the donation, I do not have an interest, the youth who attend camp benefit.
???

No, you cannot claim tax relief against donations that were not gift-aided.  For donations that are gift-aided, declaring on the tax return means you pay less higher rate tax.

The comment about the donation not being gift-aidable may be incorrect or a misunderstanding.  If you make a donation and receive something in return, that precludes gift-aid.  For example, if the money for the youth camp secured your child a place on the camp.

Savvy_Sue

Grumpy_chap said:

samthelamanite said:

I am new at this so not sure if I'm doing the right thing as I posted this as a comment on another thread ...

I am a pensioner and donate regularly to my church using gift aid. However, I also donate around £200 each year to the church youth camp, but my church tells me that they cannot claim the tax as it's for a specific purpose.

Can I mark this as a charitable donation on my tax return (and thus claim relief)? As far as I am concerned, I do not benefit from the donation, I do not have an interest, the youth who attend camp benefit.
???

No, you cannot claim tax relief against donations that were not gift-aided.  For donations that are gift-aided, declaring on the tax return means you pay less higher rate tax.

The comment about the donation not being gift-aidable may be incorrect or a misunderstanding.  If you make a donation and receive something in return, that precludes gift-aid.  For example, if the money for the youth camp secured your child a place on the camp.

That has always been my understanding, and yet ... two examples spring to mind!

1. National Trust and the like encourage you to Gift Aid what can only be seen as an entry fee.
   
   
2. Towards the end of my sons' time in Scouts, we were being encouraged to Gift Aid their subs. 

So I was also surprised at the comment that a donation to one part of the church's work was gift aidable, and yet another was not. 

It will be a while before I see our church treasurer, but if I get the chance I'll ask whether the same applies to us - our youth go away at regular intervals!