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Gift Aid

As a registered charity, the °ÅÀÖ¶ÌÊÓƵ Development Fund is able to reclaim basic rate tax (20%) on any donations that you make, at no cost to you. Furthermore, if you are a higher or additional rate tax payer, you can reclaim any additional tax that you have paid in your annual tax return.

As an example, if you make a donation of £80, °ÅÀÖ¶ÌÊÓƵ can reclaim an additional £20 (£80 x 100/80), increasing the value of your donation to £100. A higher rate (40%) tax payer would then be able to reclaim £20, in effect reducing the cost of the gift to £60. Additional rate (45%) tax payers would be able to reclaim £25, in effect reducing the cost of the gift to £55.

(Please note that you must be a UK taxpayer for your donation to qualify for Gift Aid. You must have paid or will pay an amount of Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax for the current tax year (6 April to 5 April) that is at least equal to the amount of tax that all the charities and Community Amateur Sports Clubs (CASCs) that you donate to will reclaim on your gifts for the current tax year.)

Share Giving

Share giving is now one of the most tax-effective ways to give. When you give an asset to °ÅÀÖ¶ÌÊÓƵ, you are treated as making no gain or loss for Capital Gains Tax purposes, so you won't have to pay any Capital Gains Tax. In addition, you are entitled to claim through your annual tax return full tax relief equal to the market value of the shares and any associated costs (such as brokers' fees). If you sold shares to raise cash for a donation, you would have to pay Capital Gains Tax on any increase in the market value of those shares.

For example:

A donor gives °ÅÀÖ¶ÌÊÓƵ a gift of 2,000 shares in a company, which he bought for £6,000 and now have a market value of £10,000. The broker's fee, paid by the donor to arrange the transfer is £50. The tax deduction is calculated as follows:

Original cost of shares - £6,000
Current market value of shares - £10,000
Broker's fee - £50
Deduction against income - £10,050

If the donor is paying income tax at the higher rate of 40%, their income tax bill will be reduced by £4,020. This effectively means that the donation of £10,000 will actually cost the donor just £5,980 after tax relief.

The donor will also save the Capital Gains Tax that should have been paid on the increase in the value of the shares (from £6,000 to £10,000), which is £4,000. The current rate of Capital Gains Tax for individuals who pay above the basic rate of tax is 20%. So if the donor had sold the shares, there could have been a CGT liability of £800.

Qualifying stocks and shares:

The shares that qualify for income tax relief are listed or dealt in on a recognized stock exchange, whether in the UK or elsewhere, including shares traded on the Alternative Investment Market; units in a UK authorised unit trust; shares in a UK open-ended investment company (OEIC); and holdings in certain foreign collective investment schemes (schemes outside the UK that are equivalent to unit trusts and OEICs).

Old Members living in the United States may send their dollar checks to: The American Friends of °ÅÀÖ¶ÌÊÓƵ, c/o Yeager Financial Services Inc., 1 West Main St, 2nd Floor, Trappe PA 19426 who will send you a 501 (c) (3) tax receipt.

Alternatively, donations by can be made online or by credit or debit card via  (500 Fifth Avenue, 32nd Floor, New York, NY 10110) who will also send you a 501 (c)(3) tax receipt.

Planned Giving

Oxford Planned Giving is a collegiate wide initiative offered for residents of the USA. Planned gifts benefit °ÅÀÖ¶ÌÊÓƵ while helping you to save taxes, increase your income and pass more on to your heirs.

Did you know that:

You can receive income for life in exchange for a gift. Giving appreciated property, like stocks or real estate, costs less than giving the equivalent amount in cash. Some assets can benefit you more if you give them away. Some gifts cost nothing now but leave a legacy later. Some gifts allow you to pass more on to your heirs and save taxes.

To find out more, please visit  on the University's North American office website.