Social enterprises and charities that are seeking investment should not overlook the importance of tax reliefs as a way to obtain and incentivise investors.
Social Investment Tax Relief (SITR) applies to loans and shares, so if your organisation is asking individuals to make loans then they are eligible for tax relief. SITR provides individuals with 30% of their investment as tax relief immediately upon investment. There are not many other places where you can earn 30% return on your money. Plus there is also tax relief against any increase in the value of the shares.
If your organisation meets the criteria then you could be eligible to give investors 50% tax relief through the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme.
The Charity Commission have guidance for charities looking for social investment. In addition The Charities (Protection and Social Investment) Bill was introduced in the House of Lords on 28 May 2015 which allows charities to make social investments themselves. This provides an opportunity for other charities and social enterprises as many charities have large cash reserves that could be invested instead.
If you would like to find out more about the benefits of tax reliefs for your social enterprise or charity, then please book to attend our training. Click here.
The training session is delivered by Heidi Harris, a Chartered Accountant with 15 years’ experience of working with social enterprises and charities. Prior to working with social enterprises and charities Heidi’s background was in Taxation, including both corporate taxes and personal taxation.
Heidi was a member of HM Treasury’s Social Investment Tax Relief Working Group, and was involved in the development of this tax relief. Through her accountancy firm, Harris Accountancy Services CIC, Heidi has worked with several organisations to secure tax reliefs, and will share her experiences during the training session.
