Significant fall in taxpayer gifts to Treasury

TAXPAYER gifts to the Treasury have plummeted in the last five years as the general public has become disillusioned with high taxes and excessive government spending.

A Freedom of Information request submitted by The Sunday Telegraph revealed that the Treasury received £16,122 in donations from members of the public between January and December 2021. A single taxpayer contribution of £10,100 accounted for over 60 per cent of the funds received.

Taxpayer donations, which are classed as “patriotic gifts” by the Treasury, have fallen significantly in the last five years. In 2017 a total of £180,393 was donated. The money is absorbed as part of general public expenditure, although some people specifically donate to reduce the national debt.

However, experts said growing disillusionment with government spending and high taxes had turned many potential donors away.

Rishi Sunak was chancellor throughout 2021, when he announced freezes to income tax bands and higher National Insurance rates. The low donations also took place in the same year that HM Revenue & Customs raked in a record £718.2billion in tax.

Chris Etherington of RSM, an accountancy firm, said it was no coincidence that donations had fallen at a time when “everyone is feeling the pinch”.

He also said taxpayers were unsure whether donations were helping the nation’s finances. “You want to know your money is having a tangible impact, and not that you’re frittering it away,” Mr Etherington said.

Joe Ventre, of the TaxPayers’ Alliance campaign group, said: “Those who call for higher taxes for everyone else are welcome to lead by example and donate their own money into the government’s coffers.”