Let the 税金 man 上げる your charity gifts

By Jo Thornhill
Updated: 15:47 BST, 23 September 2008

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Most of us will dig a little deeper into our pockets at Christmas when it comes to giving to charities and we may buy cards 利益ing good 原因（となる）s. But though such generosity is always 高く評価する／（相場などが）上がるd, more 税金-efficient giving and 正規の／正選手 寄付s woul d make a bigger difference.

Ruth Bostock

The British gave £9.5bn to charities last year, によれば the Charities 援助（する） 創立／基礎. Spokes-woman Kelly Trinder 報告（する）／憶測s that most charities see an 増加する in 寄付s in the run-up to the festive season. 'Special 控訴，上告s, cards and charity gifts also 上げる the 量 charities receive,' she says.

Charity Christmas cards are an 平易な way to give, but the sum 寄付するd depends on the retailer, with most given when the cards are bought direct from a charity shop.

Intelligent Giving, the not-for-利益（をあげる） charity 研究 organisation, runs a 名簿（に載せる）／表（にあげる） of its favourite cards online at intelligentgiving. com based on the 株 the charity gets, design and 倫理的な 問題／発行するs.

Taxpayers making a one-off 寄付 should take advantage of 税金 breaks. Putting cash in a collection box is laudable, but if you are a basic-率 taxpayer the charity gets nearly a third more if you 寄付する 税金-efficiently, and twothirds more if you are a higher-率 taxpayer. For example, £10 from a basic-率 taxpayer will turn into £12.80 for the charity, though this is 始める，決める to 落ちる to £12.50 from next April 予定 to a 減少（する） in the basic 率 of 所得税.

If you give through websites such as justgiving.org, which 名簿（に載せる）／表（にあげる）s more than 3,200 charities, the 税金 救済 is passed on すぐに. With most 郵便の 寄付s, you can tick a box to say you are a taxpayer. Over the phone you can usually make a 言葉の 宣言. The charity can then 埋め立てる the 税金 through Gift 援助（する）, though only at the basic 率.

For 従業員s, 寄付するing 月毎の 経由で the payroll is an 平易な way to give. And as 寄付s are deducted from 甚だしい／１２ダース 支払う／賃金, the charity needn't spend time and money （人命などを）奪う，主張するing 支援する the 税金. This is 特に cost-効果的な for higher-率 taxpayers.

Most 会社／堅いs can 始める，決める this up: ask human 資源s or visit payrollgiving.co.uk. Almost £100m was raised in this way last year, though that is still just one per cent of the total given to charity.

One ますます popular form of giving is through charity gifts, where the 'gift' to a friend or 親族 in fact goes 直接／まっすぐに to a good 原因（となる）. A card 述べるing what the 寄付 has bought can then be 現在のd as the gift.

One of the most popular 計画／陰謀s is Oxfam Unwrapped, which was 開始する，打ち上げるd in 2004. Gifts, which can cost as little as £5, 含む 道具s for a Fairtrade coffee 工場／植物 in Honduras or a goat in Tanzania.

The 66 gifts can be ordered from Oxfam shops, online at oxfam.org.uk, or by calling 0870 410 5030. About 420,000 were sold through the 計画／陰謀 last Christmas.

Workplace Giving UK, which 促進するs payroll giving, has also recently introduced charity gifts on its website, 含むing Christmas dinners for the homeless, sponsoring a 審理，公聴会 dog for one year and sponsoring an older person in the developing world.

The difference is that 寄贈者s must 調印する up for a year. For example, a 誓約（する） of £15 a month will 供給する food, clean water, healthcare and 避難所 for a grandparent in the developing world 経由で Help the 老年の. But because the gift is 寄付するd out of pre-税金 income it only costs basic-率 taxpayers £11.70 a month, or £9 for a higher-率 taxpayer. See the website workplacegiving-uk.com or call 020 8731 5125 for more （警察などへの）密告，告訴（状）.

Ruth Bostock, 24, a 財政上の 分析家 for a 着せる／賦与するing retailer, has bought her mother Dilly, 58, an 特に thoughtful 現在の this year. Ruth, who lives in Kennington, south London, has sponsored a room in a new care home in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, run by the John Grooms charity.

The home has 24 rooms with high-tech features to 許す 無能にするd people to live 独立して. Her mother is a retired special needs teacher. Ruth has 誓約（する）d £16 a month from her salary to the charity, but because of the 税金 break it will cost her just £12.48.

'My mum 寄付するs to John Grooms and it is an important 原因（となる） for her,' says Ruth, who will spend Christmas with her parents at their home in Southend.

'Mum cried when I told her about the gift,' says Ruth. 'It's hard to imagine any other 現在の having that sort of 衝撃.'

Christmas cards

● 平易な to see, tactile cards from the 王室の 国家の 学校／設ける for the Blind. Visit rnib.org.uk. 定価つきの at £3.25 for a pack of ten 加える £2.75 p&p with £2.60 going to charity.
● Madonna and Child from the Children's Society. Visit childrenssociety.org.uk. The cost is £4.95 for a pack of ten 加える £3.50 p&p. About £2.75 will go to the charity.
● Pudding Boy from the Victoria and Albert Museum. See vandashop.co.uk. The price is £4 for a pack of ten 加える £5.95 p&p. All 利益（をあげる）s from the V&A shop go 直接／まっすぐに to running the museum. £