Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester Withington)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to help reduce the amount of Gift Aid that is unclaimed each year.
Answered by Helen Whately - Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
The Government is committed to proving support to the charitable sector worth over £5 billion per year. Gift Aid - a key part of this - is one of the most generous tax reliefs available – worth £1.4 billion per year to charities and £500 million to their donors (through higher rate relief).
In March 2018 HM Revenue and Customs published research on charitable giving and Gift Aid and the key findings were that, for the 12-month period up to January 2016, £560m of Gift Aid was not claimed where it could have been and £180m of Gift Aid was incorrectly claimed. However, as neither charities nor their donors are required to tell the Government about donations on which Gift Aid is eligible but not claimed, there is no administrative data to publish. Therefore, the 2018 figures have not been updated.
HM Revenue and Customs works closely with the charity sector to help ensure donors are aware of Gift Aid and are able to make informed decisions about whether or not they qualify for the relief but ultimately it is a choice for the donor. The Government is always open to new ideas to improve eligible Gift Aid take-up and to ensure that Gift Aid is fit for the future.
Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester Withington)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish updated statistics for the amount of Gift Aid that is unclaimed each year.
Answered by Helen Whately - Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
The Government is committed to proving support to the charitable sector worth over £5 billion per year. Gift Aid - a key part of this - is one of the most generous tax reliefs available – worth £1.4 billion per year to charities and £500 million to their donors (through higher rate relief).
In March 2018 HM Revenue and Customs published research on charitable giving and Gift Aid and the key findings were that, for the 12-month period up to January 2016, £560m of Gift Aid was not claimed where it could have been and £180m of Gift Aid was incorrectly claimed. However, as neither charities nor their donors are required to tell the Government about donations on which Gift Aid is eligible but not claimed, there is no administrative data to publish. Therefore, the 2018 figures have not been updated.
HM Revenue and Customs works closely with the charity sector to help ensure donors are aware of Gift Aid and are able to make informed decisions about whether or not they qualify for the relief but ultimately it is a choice for the donor. The Government is always open to new ideas to improve eligible Gift Aid take-up and to ensure that Gift Aid is fit for the future.
Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester Withington)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to ensure that UK citizens living in (a) The Netherlands and (b) other countries in Europe are able to continue holding UK bank accounts after the conclusion of transitional arrangements for the UK leaving the EU.
Answered by John Glen
The UK authorities have taken the appropriate actions to mitigate risks of disruption to cross-border financial services at the end of the Transition Period (TP), including confirming that the Temporary Permissions Regime will apply from the end of the TP. This will allow EEA firms currently providing services in the UK via a financial services ‘passport’ to continue operating after the TP while they apply for full UK authorisation.
However, the issue of whether UK firms can service EEA-based retail customers remains a matter of local law and regulation in each country. It may also be impacted by how firms are set up and what steps they have taken to continue to service customers. We expect banks to act lawfully and in accordance with local regulators’ expectations.
We also expect that banks work to ensure good outcomes for their customers and provide timely communications to enable them to make appropriate decisions. UK banking providers are expected to contact impacted customers if they need to make any changes to their product or the way it is provided.
We encourage customers with questions or concerns to speak to their service provider. There is also further guidance for impacted customers on the Money Advice Service website, which can be found here: https://www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en/articles/brexit-banking-insurance-finance