Diocesan centralised tax recovery scheme for parishes
The Portsmouth Diocese’s centralised scheme for the recovery of tax reclaimable on Gift Aid donations was set up in 1997, and since that time more than half the parishes in the Diocese have joined it. This number continues to increase and over £2,500,000 of tax has been recovered on behalf of parishes.
Who can use the scheme?
Any parish in the Portsmouth Diocese.
How does the scheme work?
The central scheme takes over all dealings with the Inland Revenue. It is still the parish’s responsibility to encourage planned giving, and tax effective giving, and to collect and record payments.
Each quarter the parish will be asked to provide information about payments received on a schedule supplied by the Diocese, and to forward any envelopes from "one-off" donors.
The Diocese makes a bulk claim to the Inland Revenue every month, so the sooner the information is supplied the sooner the parish will have the benefit of the tax refund. Tax repayments are made direct to the parish’s bank account as soon as the Diocese receives the payment from the Inland Revenue
What about confidentiality?
The records are maintained on specially written software, and only the Parish Resources Adviser (PRA) and his assistant have access to the information. All original documents are kept in locked storage, and will be retained for the requisite period required by the Inland Revenue. The Diocese is registered under the Data Protection Act, and personal records will not be made available to any outside party at any time. All dealings with the parish are with a named person, usually the Treasurer or Planned Giving Secretary.
My parish runs several different funds - can the scheme cope with this?
Yes. Every declaration is allocated a unique reference number, and a parish may have as many funds as it requires - e.g. General Fund, Fabric Fund, Organ Fund etc. etc. so that tax recovered can be allocated to the correct fund. We have recorded almost 100 special funds!
What does it cost?
Nothing. There is no joining fee, no maintenance fee, no deduction from tax recovered.
So how is it paid for?
The scheme is operated by the Parish Resources Adviser who is paid by the Diocese, which receives income by way of parish share payments from the parishes.
When can a parish join the scheme?
At any time, subject only to timing of the PRA’s workload.
What else does the Parish Resources Adviser do?
The PRA is a resource for every parish in the Diocese, and is happy to give advice and guidance to parishes on all financial matters, including informal audits of giving records, and training of new Treasurers and Planned Giving Secretaries. He is also the Diocesan Stewardship Adviser for mainland parishes, available to help parishes with all aspects of Christian Stewardship. (Parishes on the Isle of Wight should contact Andrew Alder for queries relating to Christian Stewardship)
Can our parish consult the Parish Resources Adviser even if we do not join the scheme?
Yes.
Who is the Parish Resources Adviser and how do we contact him?
He is Gordon Uphill, who can usually be reached at Peninsular House, Portsmouth on 023 9289 9655 during normal office hours, Monday to Thursday. Meetings can be arranged at other times to suit parish officers, e.g. evenings for those who work during the day.
