Former Inland Revenue chair to lead NCVO tax review group

Sir Nicholas Montagu will lead the umbrella group’s Charity Tax Commission, which will include five other commissioners and is set to review the tax system as it affects the sector

A former chairman of the Inland Revenue will lead a group set up by the National Council for Voluntary Organisations to make recommendations to government on how it might reform the charity tax system.

Sir Nicholas Montagu, who chaired the Inland Revenue between 1997 and 2004, shortly before it merged with HM Customs & Excise to become HM Revenue & Customs, will lead the NCVO’s Charity Tax Commission, the umbrella body has announced.

The commission, which was announced earlier this year, will carry out a full review of the charity tax system and the estimated £3.7bn worth of charity tax reliefs, then submit recommendations for reform to the government.

Montagu will be supported by five commissioners who have experience of the charity sector or fiscal policy.

They are: Sarah Atkinson, director of policy, planning and communications at the Charity Commission; Dan Corry, chief executive of the think tank New Philanthropy Capital; Pesh Framjee, head of not-for-profits at Crowe Clark Whitehill and a special adviser to the Charity Finance Group; Clare Pelham, chief executive of the Epilepsy Society; and Lynne Oats, professor of taxation and accounting at the University of Exeter Business School and co-director of the university’s Tax Administration Research Centre.

The Treasury and HM Revenue & Customs will also attend the commissioner as observers, and another commissioner might be announced shortly, the NCVO said.

The commission will meet for the first time later this week and should complete its work in the next 18 months, with the aim of informing the Inquiry Into the Future of Civil Society, which is chaired by Julia Unwin and is expected to report in 2019.

The tax commission is the first comprehensive review of charity tax since 1997, according to Montagu.

“My aspiration is for the commission’s proposals to inform future changes to the tax system such that it can continue to support charities’ work as effectively as possible,” he said.

“I look forward to drawing up pragmatic proposals that will appropriately balance the need for a fair and efficient tax system with the important role that we want charities to continue to play in society.”

In response to the NCVO’s announcement, Caron Bradshaw, chief executive of the CFG, said: “This commission comes at a critical time for our sector and carries a heavy weight of responsibility. We believe the commission should ensure that the proposals it puts forward deliver significant positive change for charities.

“We urge it to be brave and bold; now is not the time for tinkering. We have long argued that the tax bill for our sector is too high, and we look forward to hearing how the commission proposes this burden can be reduced.”

John Hemming, chair of the Charity Tax Group, said the commission “offers a further opportunity to challenge the anomalous tax position charities often find themselves in, particularly in respect of VAT”.

He said: “It is essential that charity tax reliefs keep up with societal and technological developments, or they may become obsolete. We look forward to working with the commission and recommend that future-proofing tax reliefs for charities be one of its major areas of focus.”

Source link

Charity Finance Group calls for joint working party on VAT post-Brexit

In its submission to the Chancellor before the autumn Budget, the group says government and charities could work together to bring in a rebate scheme

The Charity Finance Group has called for a joint government and charity sector working party to decide how the VAT system should operate after Brexit.

In a submission to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond, before the autumn Budget, which will take place on 22 November, the CFG says there are some “significant opportunities” for charities from Brexit, in particular in charity tax, and that the government should “lay the foundation for a stronger charity sector”.

Irrevocable VAT costs the charity sector approximately £1.5bn a year, which is equivalent to £9,204 for every charity in the UK, the submission says.

The European Union currently sets rules on VAT zero rates, but the CFG’s letter says that on departing the EU the government could help charities by phasing in a rebate scheme to allow VAT incurred on non-business income to be reclaimed over five years.

This could be supplemented, it says, by converting existing VAT exemptions into zero ratings or “options to tax”, which would allow charities to recover VAT.

These two proposals could save the charity sector 90 per cent of its current VAT tax burden, the submission says.

“The impact of VAT reform would be transformational to the UK charity sector, not only reducing the amount of time spent focused on structuring activities in such a way as to avoid large VAT bills and paying for advice, but also in freeing up hundreds of millions of pounds to be spent on helping advance good causes,” it says.

The CFG is also calling for charities to be exempt from paying insurance premium tax – a tax on general insurance premiums – and for business rate relief for charities to be increased, including a target to create 100 per cent rate relief by the end of this decade.

The CFG’s letter come after a submission last week from the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, the charity chief executives body Acevo and UK Community Foundations that called on the government to create a successor to the European Social Fund.

The ESF provides European investment for social issues, such as improving skills and training and reducing inactivity among young people and the long-term unemployed. Charities receive approximately £300m a year from the ESF.

The joint submission said that the government had an opportunity to keep the best aspects of the ESF while reducing the scheme’s bureaucracy.

The £1bn in dormant assets the government’s Commission on Dormant Assets recently uncovered should also be used to strengthen the charity sector, the joint submission said, including allowing communities to purchase local amenities and assets, such as village halls or pubs.

The Association of Charitable Foundations has also backed both of the NCVO’s proposals in a separate letter to the Chancellor.

The Charity Tax Group also used its submission ahead of the Budget to call for an improved VAT system, reform of Gift Aid donor benefit rules, reducing tax burdens on the charity sector and making charities’ trading subsidiaries exempt from HM Revenue & Customs’ Making Tax Digital programme.

Source link

Woods Group покупает компанию по обработке пожертвований Valldata

Компания по обработке пожертвований Valldata была приобретена поставщиком благотворительных услуг Woods Group для нераскрытой суммы.

Приобретение официально состоялось 31 августа с передачей Valldata из группы VRD, которая была сформирована после того, как она приобрела Valldata в мае прошлого года, в Woods Group, которая специализируется на благотворительных лотереях, лотереях и обработке платежей.

Штаб-квартира Valldata и Woods Group расположены в девяти милях друг от друга недалеко от Чиппенхема, Уилтшир, но две компании перейдут в совместную штаб-квартиру, созданную специально для летнего сезона 2018 года, согласно заявлению Woods Group .

Валдата понесла убыток в размере 2 млн фунтов стерлингов в год до 31 марта 2016 года в соответствии с его счетами, поданными в Дом Компаний, с оборотом в 6,8 млн. Фунтов стерлингов

. В отчетах говорилось, что негативное освещение в средствах массовой информации в 2015 году повлияло на способность клиентов компании собирать деньги, что привело к спаду результатов компании. Но на счетах говорилось, что бухгалтеры Deloitte полагают, что компания по-прежнему продолжает действовать.

Иэн Скарр, управляющий директор Woods Group, был назначен исполнительным директором Valldata, говорится в заявлении. Скотт Грей, который был главным исполнительным директором Valldata до его передачи в Woods Group, продолжится в качестве главы исполнительной власти VRD Group и Rapidata Services, компании по управлению прямым дебетом, которой он также владеет.

В заявлении говорилось, что еще не принято решение о том, будут ли обе компании поддерживать индивидуальный брендинг или объединить его для создания нового бренда.

Скарр сказал: «Ничего еще не принято в отношении нашей окончательной формы с точки зрения людей или брендинга. Нам нужно будет работать с нашими новыми сотрудниками для приятного перехода, и мы очень стремимся без каких-либо потерь работы. Чтобы быть ясным, это не слияние двух компаний, а расширение нашей группы ».

Он сказал, что, хотя планы по изменению или сокращению численности персонала не планируются, «необходимо будет внести некоторые небольшие изменения» в работу двух команд, таких как введение партнерства, работающего в разных командах, где услуги могут совпадать.

Он отказался сказать, сколько Валдата было куплено. Компания была приобретена за £ 6,5 млн частной компанией Livingbridge в 2011 году, прежде чем она была приобретена ее управленческой командой, которая затем сформировала VFD Group в 2016 году.

Грей сказал: «Непрофильный рынок значительно изменился за последние пару лет, и это подталкивает поставщиков к адаптации тоже

«Стало ясно, что для роста Valldata необходимы дальнейшие инвестиции, и объединение усилий с Woods Group открывает отличную возможность для компании, персонала и сектора. Это чрезвычайно позитивный шаг для всех вовлеченных сторон».

Он сказал, что Рапидата останется под рукой в ​​качестве стратегического партнера и будет продолжать работать вместе с Валдатой.

Source link

Which? accepts three of six governance resolutions put forward by pressure group

The measures will be voted on at the charity’s annual general meeting in November

The Consumers’ Association, the charity behind the Which? publications and brand, has backed three of the six resolutions submitted by a 400-member pressure group to reform the charity’s governance.

In a letter and voting pack that has been circulated to members of the charity, Which? has supported three resolutions from ordinary members out of 15 that will be discussed and voted on at the charity’s annual general meeting on 15 November.

The association has been criticised by some members for its pay and bonus policies for a number of years. A Third Sector investigation last year showed bonuses worth a total of £2.24m were set aside by the charity in 2015/16.

Of the ordinary resolutions submitted by members, the charity said it accepted a measure to make it seek a second legal opinion on whether it could run trading subsidiaries as profit-making enterprises. The charity had already put this into practice, it said, and recommends in its voting pack that members should support this amendment.

The charity’s articles state that the charity should not run commercial operations for a profit, but Which? said that legal advice obtained in 2007, 2008 and 2017 confirmed that none of its trading subsidiaries conflicted with the charity’s articles.

Which? is also supporting a request to make available audio recordings of all general meetings, and another resolution to consider creating a standing body of the entire council and 30 ordinary members that would meet twice a year and discuss the charity’s direction.

There have been controversies about the pay of the charity’s executive team and the controversial use of long-term incentive payments, a practice that was abandoned by the charity earlier this year.

But the charity has opposed three resolutions put forward by members, one of which calls for a reversal of changes agreed by ordinary members in 2007 to grant voting rights to associate members in council elections.

The charity’s voting pack for the AGM says its council recommends that members vote against this proposal, saying it could not work to support consumers’ interests while removing their right to choose representatives for its council.

Another resolution that the council recommends members should reject would reverse changes agreed by ordinary members in 2012 and increase the size of the council to incorporate 12 ordinary members.

Which? says in the voting pack that this resolution would contravene good practice for the charity sector, and that the current mix of nine elected and six co-opted council members “strikes the right balance”.

The charity is also opposing a resolution to change the level of support needed to requisition a resolution to 50 members or 5 per cent of ordinary members, and remove the cost of doing so from the charity’s membership.

Instead, the charity proposes capping the number of ordinary members needed to support resolutions being put to the AGM at whichever is the lowest out of 400 ordinary members or 5 per cent of ordinary members.

The council has also proposed another two special resolutions, one of which will allow a coordinated review by ordinary members of the notice of AGM, annual report and accounts, and council election ballot papers.

Which? has also backed a resolution to clarify rights where more than one person is named in a single entry on the charity’s register of members, which would ensure one vote per each ordinary member in the charity.

A Which? spokeswoman said: “The Consumers’ Association’s council is supportive of changes that take us towards better and stronger governance to ensure we can tackle consumer detriment for decades to come.

“We cannot support proposals we believe could undermine the effective governance of our organisation, but we have proposed alternatives where we can.”

Source link

Дефицит пенсий приводит к потере £ 1 млн для Cancer Research UK Group

<В эту историю были внесены поправки; См. Окончательный пункт

Cancer Research UK Group в прошлом году потеряла 1 млн фунтов стерлингов из-за своего дефицита пенсий, несмотря на значительное увеличение общего дохода благотворительной организации, показывают последние данные благотворительной организации.

Группа CRUK включает благотворительность и ее дочерние компании, которые включают в себя технологию исследований рака и исследование рака в Великобритании.

. На своих счетах за год до 31 марта 2017 года, которые были опубликованы в Доме компаний ранее на этой неделе, общий доход группы CRUK составил 679,2 млн фунтов, по сравнению с 635,2 млн фунтов стерлингов в предыдущем году.

Учетные данные показывают, что это частично связано с 32 миллионами сделок с недвижимостью от продажи Clare Hall за 14,5 млн фунтов стерлингов и переселением благотворительной организации из Ангела, Лондона, в Стратфорд, что спасло благотворительность в размере 17,5 млн фунтов стерлингов.

Но актуарная потеря на пенсию в 33,9 млн фунтов стерлингов привела к убытку в размере 9,1 млн фунтов стерлингов за благотворительность, при этом общий объем средств составил 347,6 млн фунтов стерлингов, свидетельствуют счета. Это сопоставимо с прибылью в размере 5,3 млн фунтов стерлингов за благотворительность в предыдущем году.

Общий объем средств для группы CRUK составил 383,5 млн фунтов, что на 1 млн фунтов меньше, чем в предыдущем году.

Счета показывают, что общие расходы в CRUK выросли с 629,8 млн. Фунтов стерлингов до 665,6 млн. Фунтов стерлингов, а расходы на благотворительную деятельность составили 472,6 млн. Фунтов стерлингов этой цифры.

Доходы, за исключением прибыли от имущества и торговой деятельности, составляют 545 млн фунтов стерлингов, по сравнению с 539,9 млн фунтов стерлингов в предыдущем году, согласно данным счетов. Это было связано главным образом с увеличением пожертвованного дохода на 8 млн фунтов.

На счетах также показано, что доход от наследства CRUK увеличился почти на 9 млн. Фунтов стерлингов до 186,6 млн. Фунтов стерлингов, но есть наследие в размере 22 млн. Фунтов стерлингов, которые не включены в данные по причинам, таким как коррупционные титулы или спорные случаи.

Самый высокий заработок благотворителя был исполнительным директором, сэром Харпалом Кумаром, который заработал до 250 000 фунтов стерлингов, по данным счетов.

В целом, благотворительная организация потратила почти 1,6 млн фунтов стерлингов на исполнительную команду, включая зарплаты и пенсионные взносы. На счетах было 188 человек, которые зарабатывали более 60 000 фунтов стерлингов в год.

Карли Вудхаус, глава отдела финансов Cancer Research UK, сказал, что дефицит в 1 млн фунтов стерлингов на групповых счетах вызван актуарными потерями по пенсиям. «Как и большинство крупных работодателей, мы предложили пенсионный план с установленными выплатами нашим сотрудникам, который сейчас закрыт. Мы приняли меры со стороны попечителей схемы, чтобы снизить уровень годового взноса и ожидать, что дефицит будет искоренен в течение 10 лет. Будут компенсированы резервами группы Cancer Research UK Group ».

<Первоначальная история неправильно заявила, что зарплата главы исполнительной власти составляет 244 миллиона фунтов стерлингов, но фактическая цифра составляла 250 000 фунтов стерлингов в год. Дальнейшие изменения были сделаны, чтобы было ясно, что цифры относятся к групповым счетам благотворительности.

Source link

Brain Tumour Charity launches closed Facebook group

The Brain Tumour Charity has created a closed Facebook group as part of its newly launched Teenage and Young Adult Service to help people living with brain tumours.

The TYA has been set up for young people aged between 16 and 30 who have been diagnosed with tumours and, as the charity says, might “feel isolated, often with no idea where to turn for information and support”. The services it will provide will include:

  • Emotional and practical support from a dedicated teenage and young adult worker

  • A closed Facebook group to help young adults connect with others in similar situations, no matter where they live

  • Opportunities to be in touch with Young Ambassadors, people who understand what it’s like to live with a brain tumour diagnosis

  • Events where young adults can meet new people, learn new skills and get helpful information and support.

People can register their interest about the Facebook group through the TYA page on the Brain Tumour Charity website. Once information has been provided, they will then be given access to the group.

Emma Wood, a TYA worker, said: “We hope that the Young Ambassadors Facebook group will be a hub where young adults can connect with others and share experiences. And we can also share information about events they might be interested in getting involved with.”

The charity’s Young Ambassadors will also be creating videos and vlogs aimed at telling their own stories and helping the charity to raise awareness about brain tumours.

“Our aim is to work with the Young Ambassadors team to make videos and vlogs as a useful resource for our TYA, which will be shared through this new service,” Wood said.

“We also offer support by email, text, whatsapp and Facebook messenger. And we will be carrying out a survey in the coming months to ask young people about the support they would like: maybe other options, such as live chat.”

Source link

Pressure group puts forward six reforming resolutions to Which? AGM

Among them are calls for legal advice on whether the Consumers’ Association can seek a profit and for an increase in the number of elected members of council, which acts as the board

A 400-member pressure group calling for reform at the Consumers’ Association, the charity behind the Which? publications and brand, has submitted six resolutions to its annual general meeting designed to change the charity’s governance rules.

Among the resolutions are that the charity should seek legal advice on whether its articles allow it to run commercial operations for a profit and a call for an increase in the number of elected members of its council, which acts as the charity’s board.

The charity has in recent years faced criticism from some members about its pay and bonus policies, including a controversial long-term incentive plan that saw senior members of staff receive tens of thousands of pounds in bonuses.

The LTIP was scrapped by the charity earlier this year as part of a wider review of its pay policies.

To improve oversight of the charity’s board and executive team, a pressure group of more than 400 ordinary Which? members – who are shareholders in the charity – have submitted six resolutions to be discussed at its annual general meeting in November.

The charity has almost 6,600 ordinary members, although it is understood that fewer than 2,000 normally vote at the charity’s AGM.

Four ordinary resolutions will be discussed at the AGM and will need the support of more than half of those in attendance to pass.

The first calls for the number of elected council members to be increased from a minimum of nine to 12. Another says that all general meetings should be recorded and the footage made available to members.

A third ordinary resolution says that further legal advice should be sought on whether the charity is able to run commercial operations at a profit. The articles of the charity say that Which? should not run commercial operations for a profit, but critics of the charity’s leadership have claimed that some recent subsidiary operations, such as Which? Financial Services, have been created with the intention of doing so.

The final ordinary resolution calls for a “standing body” to be created comprising the charity’s trustees and 30 ordinary members, who should represent all 15 regions of the UK. The resolution says that the ordinary members should be coopted to the standing body for two years and should be selected randomly from volunteers at the charity’s AGM.

Also to be put forward are two “special” resolutions, which will require the support of 75 per cent of votes cast at the AGM according to Which? rules.

The first says for ordinary members should be able to see a notice of any resolution or statement to be discussed at a forthcoming general meeting when requested by 50 ordinary members. The second says that only ordinary members of the charity should be classed as “members”, essentially preventing associate members from having the same rights.

This second resolution is aimed at preventing Which? subscribers from voting on issues of charity governance – there are currently 700,000 subscribers, who can heavily outnumber ordinary members during votes.

In a statement, a Which? spokeswoman said: “We are actively considering these proposals as part of our wider governance review, which we committed to at our last AGM. 

“Our ordinary members will receive an update on our governance approach alongside our notice of AGM in August.”

Source link

Charity Finance Group launches Counter Fraud Pledge

The Charity Finance Group is calling on charities to take a pledge aimed at reducing fraud in the voluntary sector.

The umbrella body said charities could not be completely immune to fraud, but they could take steps to minimise the risks and reduce the estimated £1.9bn a year the sector loses to it.

The Counter Fraud Pledge focuses on six promises, including that each signatory will create fraud policy, assess each year how well the policy is working and appoint a key person to be responsible for fraud.

Organisations that sign the pledge will be able to use a badge on their website to show people that the charity is doing what it can to protect its assets.

Heather McLoughlin, policy and public affairs officer at the Charity Finance Group, said fraud was one of the biggest challenges facing charities.

She said that although many charities had robust counter-fraud policies, others were still grappling with the issue.

“Our hope is that the Counter Fraud Pledge will increase awareness of fraud and how to tackle it,” she said.

“We also believe it will demonstrate to beneficiaries, funders and the people who support and donate to charities, that charities do take the threat seriously and are actively working to safeguard their organisations’ assets and reputation.”

Source link