Vat on Charities is a Disgrace

Date: 1/13/2012
It is a disgrace that Charities, who spend much time fundraising, have to pay 23% Vat on essential equipment. Taking 23% away from these charities puts them at great risk of going bankrupt.

If these charities go bankrupt who will provide the services they provide ? If this happens one of two things will happen to Charity services:

1. the government will have to either provide replacement services at a greater cost to the tax payer or

2. they will let their people go and these much needed services will cease

We highlighted this problem before on this web site and Politicians who were in power at the time asked ‘what business has a missing persons organisation querying VAT ?’

Let me answer those people and all other government members now with this example;

One such charity and voluntary group is “Mallow Search and Rescue” who have been assisting the Missing Persons Association for the past ten years in searching and recovering missing persons from Irish waters. They have had to pay the Government in the region of 100,000 euro in VAT out of their funds since they began to work with us. If we did not have such a voluntary group to help us, the bill to the tax payer would be in excess of two million euro for the past ten years. Mallow Search and Rescue have been searching for Missing Persons lost in Irish waters in a number of Counties almost on a daily basis since the start of November 2010 and they are now struggling to meet the fuel costs that have been incurred from these searches. The VAT they have been charged in the past ten years would be a great help to them now to continue the good work they do and save the State and tax payers the costs that would be incurred if they and other charities did not exist.

By refunding the money the State has taken from them and by giving them VAT exemption it will save the tax payers vast amounts of money each year. Taking Vat from Charities is ultimately putting the State deeper into debt. Please give these Charities Vat exemption so that they can survive these difficult times.

David Linehan

Secretary,

Missing Persons’ Association