The Gift Aid Budget seesaw

Future for Africa, like all charities, depends on effective fundraising. As mentioned in my last post we're now able to claim Gift Aid on most of the donations which we receive. In his final budget Chancellor Gordon Brown acknowledged that take-up rates of Gift Aid are not as high as they might be. He revealed that the Government would consult with charities on measures to increase take-up which should involve a campaign aimed at boosting awareness. However, it wasn't all good news. It has been estimated that charities could lose up to £71 million as a result of the cut in the basic rate of income tax from 22p to 20p in the pound. Not that we don't support this change per se, but, as the Charities Aid Foundation has put it "while this will create additional income for the public, charities will have to call on their donors to help make up the shortfall". At present, most of Future for Africa's work is not funded from Gift Aid rebates so this shouldn't have massive knock-on effects. We will, of course, keep you posted. Thanks as ever for your interest in our work.

Paul Stevenson
Chair of Trustees and Treasurer