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| Volunteering
England concerned over potential tax rebates |
31/03/08 |
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Volunteering England has expressed concern over some of the
recommendations in Lord Goldsmith’s report Citizenship:
Our Common Bond, namely those concerning council tax
rebates in return for volunteering.
Lord Goldsmith, the former attorney general, published the
results of his five-month review into citizenship back in
March. Its recommendations were mainly based on actions which
would, in theory, make for a more cohesive society including
a new ‘national day’ to be established by 2012,
which could be made into a public holiday, and a US style
pledge of allegiance for school children.
It also made a number of proposals involving volunteering,
which included a reduction in university fees for students
who volunteer to take part in civic activities, and a clearer
policy on volunteering for those claiming Job Seekers’
Allowance, which was welcomed by Volunteering England’s
chief executive Justin Davis Smith.
“One of the problematic issues involves job seekers
on benefits being incorrectly dissuaded from volunteering
in public services such as hospitals, as the workers believe
it is only possible to volunteer in charitable organisations,”
he said. “To remedy this oversight, we would ask the
DWP to develop a training programme for all its Job Centre
employees so that they can give more accurate advice to claimants.”
The area of contention for Davis Smith was the idea of a council
tax discount for people who complete volunteer work in the
community. This, said Lord Goldsmith, could be earned by,
for example, organising neighbourhood recycling projects,
helping children learn to read in schools, or setting up a
residents’ association.
Davis Smith said he was very concerned by the idea as: “This
could create a hierarchy of altruism where certain volunteering
is better recognised or financially rewarded more than others.
It could also risk unintentionally creating a form of employment
contract – along with the financial and legal responsibilities
that incurs.”
Davis Smith also pointed out that a further proposal from
Lord Goldsmith, to create a national recognition scheme for
employers who support their staff to volunteer, already existed
in the form of the Investing in Volunteers for Employers quality
mark.
Davis Smith added: “Volunteering England strongly believes
that the sector is more powerful when it pulls together with
a common purpose and we call on government to ensure that
any new initiatives tap into the expertise and experience
of volunteering infrastructure bodies that have a proven track
record in maximising the impact of volunteering within their
communities.”
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