Press releases
New report reveals real value of volunteering
An independent report today illustrates how volunteers contribute millions of pounds worth of hidden time, commitment and energy to the charity sector every year.
Lobbying report is 'woefully ignorant' of charities' right to campaign
The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) has today responded to Christopher Snowdon’s report Sock Puppets: How the government lobbies itself and why. The report, which has been published today, suggests that charities in receipt of government funding should not be allowed to lobby and often do not have widespread public support.
Read more: Lobbying report is 'woefully ignorant' of charities' right to campaign
Victory for the Give It Back, George campaign
The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) has today welcomed George Osborne's announcement that the cap on tax relief on charitable donations will be dropped.
After caravan and pasty tax climbdowns, charity tax needs to follow suit
The National Council for Voluntary Organisations has responded to the Treasury's plans to drop the controversial tax rises on pasties and caravans, saying that they need to do the same with the charity tax.
Read more: After caravan and pasty tax climbdowns, charity tax needs to follow suit
£30m VAT concession to support churches is welcome, but full charity exemption is needed, say CFG and NCVO
Charity Finance Group (CFG) and NCVO have stressed that Government must go further than the additional £30m for the Listed Places of Worship grant scheme and exempt all charities from the planned VAT imposition on alterations to listed buildings. Removing the zero rating will bring huge costs to charities operating in listed buildings, yet the scheme is only available for churches and other listed places of worship, with no equivalent fund in place to compensate other affected charities.
Charity law system gets a clean bill of health
The Charities Act has largely proved to be a good piece of legislation, and the Charity Commission is doing a respectable job of supporting the sector despite its limited resources, according to an independent review being published today.
NCVO responds to Queen's speech
The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) has today responded to the Queen’s Speech. The main announcement of relevance to the voluntary sector is the enactment of the Small Donations Scheme, which aims to reduce the administrative burden on charities by providing top-up payments so that they do not have to fill out Gift Aid declarations on each small donation.
PM's comments on tax relief cap "most encouraging sign yet" that proposal will be dropped
The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) has today welcomed David Cameron’s hint at a rethink on the tax relief cap on charitable donations, calling it the ‘most encouraging sign yet’ that the Government plans to drop the proposal. Today’s Daily Mail reports that the Prime Minister said that the matter would ‘be dealt with’ when questioned about the widespread opposition to the plans. He suggested that he wants the plans dramatically altered or abandoned altogether.
Read more: PM's comments on tax relief cap "most encouraging sign yet" that proposal will be dropped
