News & Views
Two new giving initiatives announced by government at May Giving Summit
The Giving Summit, hosted by the Cabinet Office on 8 May a the Natural History Museum, was, for many attendees, overshadowed by the charity sector’s response to the outcry over the ‘charity tax’
Rescheduled from last autumn, the event was first proposed in the Cabinet Office’s Giving White Paper to take forward initiatives on how to develop philanthropy in the UK. Civil Society minister Nick Hurd was at pains to remind delegates that “the agenda is much broader than the tax affairs of a very small group of very rich people.”
He went on to announce two initiatives. The first was a matching fund where the government would match every pound given to local charities up to a total of £500,000. This is to be run by www.localgiving.com and follows on from a similar £400,00 match-funding scheme earlier in the year.The second comprises two ‘challenge prizes’ to inspire people to come up with ideas for giving better support to older people and reducing waste in their communities.
A more detailed report of his speech can be found on the Guardian website at www.guardian.co.uk/voluntary-sector-network/2012/may/08/giving-summit-nick-hurd-regrets. For more information about the 'charity tax', see www.charitiesdirect.com/caritas-magazine/charity-tax-becomes-canterbury-tale-1120.html
