Public Servant Lifestyle

Maximise the value of every pound you give with a special £25 promotion for 'In Touch' readers.

Make a bigger difference to the causes that matter with the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF).

How well-versed are you in the art of giving? Do you ensure that you maximise the value of every pound you give? The UK is a generous nation. Almost 70% of us give to charity on a regular basis. But – astonishingly – only one in three of us do so tax efficiently. That means hundreds of thousands of pounds that could be going to good causes are instead sitting in the Treasury’s coffers. And that’s despite the fact that the UK enjoys one of the most liberal tax environments for charitable giving in the world.

Tax Breaks

So how can you take full advantage of the available tax breaks? The simplest way to make your donations tax-efficient is to Gift Aid them. This can boost their value by up to 28% by reclaiming the basic rate of tax. However, it is not always cost-effective for charities to reclaim the tax on smaller donations.

In any case, ensuring your giving is tax-efficient is only the first step. Planning your giving over the year is the next. The Charity Account is a brilliantly simple way to save up your donations. And with your own online account and ‘charity chequebook’ you are in complete control. We will even claim Gift Aid for you, boosting the value of your donations further.

Special Promotion For 'In Touch' Readers

As a special promotion, we’re offering to add an extra £25 to the balance of 'In Touch' readers who open a Charity Account. That means you’ll have even more funds to give to the causes that matter to you.

If you wish to give larger amounts over a longer period of time you may wish to consider the CAF Trust Account. This enables you to give a capital sum in cash, shares or property and place the proceeds in a tax-efficient fund. You can then distribute the income from your trust to charities over a long period – in the case of a family trust beyond your own lifetime.

Real Incentive

The tax benefits of a CAF Trust can act as a real incentive. Not only will it ensure the assets you give are exempt from Inheritance Tax and Capital Gains Tax, you can use it to reduce your taxable income too. And costs and paperwork are pared to a minimum, as unlike a private charitable trust, there are no set up, legal, examiners’ or accountants’ fees. With a CAF Trust you won’t need to appoint your own trustees. This leaves you free to concentrate on the fun bit – deciding which charities and projects you’d like to support.

So if you want to find out more about opening a Charity Account or CAF Trust, visit www.cafonline.org/giving or call 01732 520 050 quoting ‘PSL’. Making a bigger difference doesn’t get any easier than that.

More information available in Professional Groups, Features, Advice, Giving, Incentives & Rewards