Figures reveal how generous Milton Keynes taxpayers are to charity

The figures are broken down per constituency, meaning there are different figures for the north and south of the city.

In Milton Keynes South one in nine taxpayers recorded a charity donation last year, amounting to around 3,000 people or 11 per cent of the constituency’s population.

Meanwhile in Milton Keynes North one in eight taxpayers recorded a charity donation last year, amounting to around 3,000 people, or 12 per cent of the constituency.

The figures only accounted for donors who entered donations in the appropriate section of a self-assessment tax return form.

This could be via gift aided cash donations or in the form of gifted qualifying assets donated to charity.

Donating through gift aid means charities and community sports clubs can claim an extra 25 pence for every one pound donated.

Donors are not charged the extra and can claim tax relief made on donations in the current tax year in their self-assessment tax return.

The Milton Keynes North and South constituencies both recorded total declared donations of around £4 million in the year to April, around two per cent of donors’ gross income in the north and three per cent in the south.

Nationally some 1.31 million people declared a charity donation via self-assessment last year, equivalent to £4.1 billion in total.

Of these donations, £3.6 billion was donated in Gift Aid.

Donations varied significantly across the country, with 15 per cent of taxpayers in the south east of England declaring a donation, the most in the country, compared to eight per cent in the north east, the fewest in the country.

The figures also showed that the likelihood to donate increased with income, with around seven per cent of self-assessment taxpayers with an annual income of under £50,000 declaring a donation in the year to April, compared to 36 per cent of those with a yearly income of more than £250,000.

National Council for Voluntary Organisations executive director Saskia Konynenburg said: "Donations from the public remain a vital source of income for charities, particularly at a time when operating costs are rising and demand for services is higher than ever.

"We know from our own research that overall public giving is in decline, so it is encouraging that those using charity tax relief continue to donate."

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