Our recommendations are summarised below, or you can view the full consultation response.
- We welcome this technical consultation, which has the potential to further improve the Gift Aid process for donors
- However, we are concerned that this technical consultation will not support text giving, which is the technology which has one of the lowest Gift Aid claim rates. We would welcome further discussions on this point.
- We strongly oppose the introduction of annual statements to be emailed or written for donors that make use of this new process.
- We believe that this new statement will confuse donors, runs counter the existing direction of travel to reduce unsolicited communications to donors, separates Gift Aid from the donation and could lead to more negative views around Gift Aid.
- All of these risks are being ventured with little or no evidence of the improvements that would result from the introduction of the Annual Statement. Without an evidence base, this regulation should be pursued.
- We strongly urge the government to reconsider the Annual Statement regulations, and amend them to give every donor the right to access an account where all their donations, Gift Aid claims and information about claiming higher rate relief can be held.
- As intermediaries have become more integral to the Gift Aid system, we believe that it would be useful to investigate whether HMRC should take a greater role in regulating this space, increasing transparency of costs and ensuring that the market place works for charities and donors. We would welcome an opportunity to explore this with HMRC and HM Treasury in the future.
If you would like any further information on this response, please contact Andrew O’Brien, Head of Policy and Engagement (andrew.o’brien@cfg.org.uk)
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