Letter: Gift Aid quiz

FOR years I have donated to Oxfam and signed up to its Gift Aid scheme. Every six months I would receive an e-mail informing me of how much tax Oxfam claimed back on my behalf.

I noticed how little tax it claimed back considering the resale value of all the goods I had donated. It seemed to be claiming tax relief on only 10 per cent of the goods I donated. So I checked, and indeed most of the goods I donated were not appropriately treated by the shops so that tax relief could be recovered once the item was sold (Gift Aid items have a sticker on them with an identification code).

I informed the shop manager, who did nothing. So I informed Oxfam, who did nothing and for the past two years I have been trying to inform the trustees of Oxfam but have been consistently thwarted by Oxfam staff.

How I can contact the Trustees of Oxfam directly (I just want to ask them to conduct an audit of the Oxfam Gift Aid Scheme)?

If you have signed up to a Charity Gift Aid scheme for Oxfam or any other charity, check that the charity is administering its scheme efficiently so as to maximise tax relief receipts.

The value of unclaimed Gift Aid Tax relief is about £700 million. Just think how much food, medical care and relief of suffering that could buy if only the charities administered their gift aid schemes efficiently so as to maximize income for the charities.

Neil Sinclair

Clarence Street

Edinburgh