gift aid

Subscriptions by Gift Aid

If you pay British Income Tax then this letter applies to you

The membership subscription that you pay for your child is currently set at £110.00 :- £10.00 per month except August:- and we do hope that you feel this is good value for money. Nevertheless we could do much more for the SAME money if it was paid to us using the Government's Charities GIFT AID scheme. Under this scheme the Treasury will give the Group £31.02* a year (tax which you have paid) for every £110.00 which we receive from you in subscriptions. This will happen every year until your child leaves the Group or you inform us of your wishes to cease payments under the terms of the scheme. (We can claim money on payments made in previous years so it is not too late if your child has been with us for some time.) Like to help? All you need to do is fill in the form below and return it to your child's Leader.
Thankyou.

You may already be aware of the Gift Aid Scheme elsewhere but here are some FAQ's that may be helpful.
Q1. Will it cost me any more?
A1. No
Q2. Will I need to keep any more records?
A2. No. We keep all necessary records.
Q3. When my child moves to another section in the Group do I need to fill in another form?
A3. No. One form remains valid unless and until you cancel it.
Q4. I have 2 or more children in the Group. Do you need a form for each child?
A4. No. One form per tax - and - subscription payer.
Q5. My child's surname is different from my (the tax-payer's) name. Does this matter?
A5. No. You indicate on the form the child's name in order that we can ensure the payments are allocated to the correct tax-payer.
Q6. I pay income tax at less than 20% in the pound. Does this matter?
A6. No. As long as you pay at least £31.02 income tax per year to cover each child you have in the Group. If in any one year you do not pay this much just let us know and we will not include your payments in our Gift Aid claim.
Q7. Why £31.02?
A7. The subscription payment is actually worth £141.02 gross and is currently taxed at 22%* leaving £110.00 net. We claim the £31.02 back from the HM Treasury. If you have 2 children in the Group we can claim £64.04 and for 3 children its £93.06.
Q8. I pay tax at more than 20%. Does this affect the scheme?
A8. No. Sadly we cannot claim any more tax back. You can however claim the extra 20% in additional tax relief vie your Self-Assessment Tax Form.
Q9. What happens if my child leaves the Group?
A9. As there is no legal commitment in a Gift Aid declaration the Group can only claim back the tax on any subscription payments you made BEFORE your child left.
Q10. What other payments I make to the Group are covered under this scheme?
A10. Any donations that you kindly make to the Group can be covered under this scheme provided that the income tax you pay in the current financial year covers the amount we claim from the Treasury.

If you have any other questions please call the Group Scout Leader - Malcolm Dickerson or email: gsl@stlukesmaidstonescouts.org.uk

Please HELP! We currently raise an extra £2000 per year from this scheme but it could be more. Best of all it COSTS YOU NOTHING !! CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD, PRINT AND FILL IN THE FORM... THEN RETURN IT TO A LEADER
* Following recent changes in personal taxation levels the claims made in tax years 2009/2010 and 2010/2011 will remain at pre 2008/2009 levels, to ease financial burden on charities. Revised figures for 2011 onwards will be notified nearer the time.