Tuam parish has appealed to parishioners to avail of a valuable tax break scheme to help build a new parish centre. The planned centre which is currently being designed, will cost an estimated €2m, much of which will be funded from sale of other unwanted church property.
However some additional fund-raising is under way and administrator Fr Stephen Farragher has appealed to self-employed and PAYE taxpayers who have made contributions to complete paperwork which will allow the parish, as a registered charity, to avail of tax-relief on the donations.
Donations to charities are tax–exempt but donors cannot themselves receive the tax relief on their donations and the relief will only be paid to the charity.
The donors can, however, make a claim which will that leverage the relief for the charity to which they have contributed.
“We are very grateful for the outstanding financial support we get from our parishioners and we want to maximize their donations by claiming the tax relief available on it,” Fr Farragher explained.
“This is a legitimate form of income and all we require is a signature and PPS number from people who have donated €250 or more in any given year.”
He said almost two-thirds of people who donated money in 2007 had completed the forms and he was hoping the remainder would do so also,
And he appealed to people who wanted to make donations anonymously rather than in numbered contribution envelopes to reconsider because of the possibility of their contribution being supplemented by a tax refund.
The new centre, which will be based in the grounds of Tuam Cathedral, will facilitate community and other groups and will consist of an assembly room and up to ten offices.
Fr Farragher said he hoped the construction industry downturn might reduce the capital cost of the project
“Were happy that our costs will be lower than the €2m we anticipated,” he said.
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(Source: CNA)