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Government and regulatory watch
Shadow charities minister calls for Gift Aid reform
Added: 25 June 2009Gift Aid is "archaic" and "plagued by red tape and overly-burdensome bureaucracy", Nick Hurd, Shadow Minister for Charities, Social Enterprise and Volunteering, has said in a call for reform of the system in an article written for the Directory of Social Change.
Hurd said he wanted to make Gift Aid work better for donors, charities and Government. He asked for public help to, "Remove the burden of current regulations and make life easier for those trying to attract donors who want to claim’.
“Gift Aid is the most important direct way that the Government can help citizens help the voluntary sector through giving and philanthropy,” he wrote.
He said Gift Aid, "Works on the principle that we should not tax people on what they give to charity. It sends an essential message about how we view donation and philanthropy: as something quite distinct from business or from state provision".
Hurd said take-up of Gift Aid is too low, pointing to research from the NVCO/CAF UK Giving survey (also see recent research from the Charities Aid Foundation). He put this down to the ‘archaic’ processes and called for those hindered by them to contact him
The original article is available on the Directory of Social Change website.
