It’s great to know that seven out of ten of us give to charity – contributing a whopping £7 billion in donations last year alone.

What is sad, is that this figure could have been a lot more. The problem is that the majority of people still give spontaneously to charity and do not take advantage of the taxman via the various tax reliefs that are available.

To take advantage of this, and make sure your favorite causes get even more money in, make a regular commitment to your favorite charities. This can be done by setting up a standing order or direct debit either directly to the charity or by using a CAF (Charities Aid Foundation) charity account, from which you can make payments as and when you wish.

The range of available reliefs include:

· Gift Aid

· Payroll Giving

· Share Giving

· Trusts

· Legacies

Organsiations such as CAF can help ensure that both you and your chosen charity receive the full benefit from the tax reliefs available. If you are a higher rate taxpayer, don’t forget to claim back the tax relief which you are due (We will do this for you when we do your tax return so long as you provide us with full information of your charitable donataions).

Under Gift Aid, your chosen charity receives £128 for every £100 that you donate

Contacts: Charities Aid Foundation

01732 520 000

http://www.cafonline.org