Canberra moves to make donating easier

Posted on 05 Dec 2024

By Greg Thom, journalist, Institute of Community Directors Australia

The federal government will scrap the $2 minimum for tax deductible donations.

In its first response to the Productivity Commission inquiry into philanthropy, Charities Minister Andrew Leigh said ditching the $2 threshold, which has been in place since the introduction of decimal currency in 1966, would encourage more Australians to give.

“This will support greater participation in philanthropy, by encouraging small donations including rounding up purchases at the point of sale in store and online.”

The recommendation to remove the requirement that a gift must be at least $2 before a donor can claim a tax deduction was among 19 contained in the Productivity Commission’s 468-page Future foundations for giving final report handed to the federal government in May.

The inquiry was initiated as part of the government’s efforts to double philanthropic giving by 2030.

“The government recognises that prudent investment of assets held in giving funds increases the amount available for distribution to charities in the longer term.”

Charities Minister Dr Andrew Leigh.

Improved the deductible gift recipient (DGR) system by creating a new pathway for community foundations to access tax deductible status
Streamlined the DGR application process for environmental organisations, harm prevention charities, cultural organisations, and overseas aid organisations
Introduced legislation to give the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) greater discretion to comment publicly on harmful breaches of compliance, to better support public trust and confidence in the regulatory framework
Appointed widely respected charity sector expert, Sue Woodward, to head the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission
Refreshed the ACNC Advisory Board to be more representative of the charity sector, bringing First Nations, CALD and youth voices onto the Board
Sent a clear signal that charitable advocacy is supported and welcomed by the federal government
Worked with state and territory governments to streamline and harmonise fundraising rules across jurisdictions
Funded a new General Social Survey with new questions on participation in volunteering and involvement in cultural events and cultural activities, and providing insights reflecting the impact of giving, participation, and purpose driven activity.

The government also announced it would accept the report’s recommendation to tweak the operation of ancillary funds.

Leigh said to better reflect the funds’ role in facilitating giving by connecting donors with charities, ancillary funds would be renamed giving funds.

Further changes include:

allowing giving (ancillary) funds to spread their annual distributions over three years to provide greater flexibility to fund capital works or large projects for charities

increasing giving funds’ annual distribution rate

“The government recognises that prudent investment of assets held in giving funds increases the amount available for distribution to charities in the longer term,” said Leigh.

“This will be balanced with the need to ensure the gifts that donors receive a tax benefit for, flow to charities sooner.”

Leigh said the reforms to strengthen philanthropy in Australia were recommended by the Productivity Commission philanthropy report and recently released Blueprint Expert Reference Group in its Not-for-profit Sector Development Blueprint.

“These are our first steps in responding to the Productivity Commission’s work and builds on the significant work we’ve already done to double giving and boost the capacity and capability of Australian community organisations,” said Leigh.

“A smarter and stronger charity sector will support vulnerable Australians and build better connected communities.”

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