Neil Gerrard        Labour MP for Walthamstow

News from Neil Gerrard

MP Urges Local Business to Support Charities

Neil Gerrard, Labour MP for Walthamstow, is urging local businesses to take advantage of a new scheme to support local charities by signing up to Payroll Giving - a tax-effective donations scheme for employees.  Launched this week, a new UK-wide initiative - the Payroll Giving Grants programme – rewards small and medium sized businesses for setting up Payroll Giving before the end of 2006 with a cash incentive of up to £500.

Mr Gerrard said “The new programme will offer small organisations the chance to support charities that work in Walthamstow and beyond, and to receive a cash payout of up to £500 at the same time. I hope that local businesses will take up the scheme and provide that much needed extra income for good causes.  It is quick and easy to set up and run.” 

Payroll Giving allows employees to donate to any UK charity straight from their gross salary, giving immediate tax relief.  As an additional incentive, the new grants programme will match the first £10 donated by each employee every month, for a period of six months.  This means that £10 donated each month would be worth as much as £20 to the charity and yet it will only cost employees paying standard rate tax £7.80 (or £6 for higher rate taxpayers).  Each year, Payroll Giving raises £91 million for charities across the UK.

The Payroll Giving Grants programme, a Home-Office funded initiative, will be administered and promoted by the Institute of Fundraising and Business in the Community.  The aim of this programme is to provide sustainable income sources for charities by increasing the number of employers and employees engaged in Payroll Giving.   Grants are payable to organisations with fewer than 500 employees that sign up to Payroll Giving before the end of 2006 and will be backdated to those that have recently signed up (since 06 April 2004).

Nov 2005

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