Main content

Gift Aid, Aviva, Self-invested personal pensions

There has been a call to scrap Gift Aid, which boosts the value of charitable donations. Plus a look at Aviva and the stolen data chain - how much was it worth?

When you give to charity do you tick the box that says please Gift Aid this donation? If you are a UK taxpayer George Osborne kindly adds 25% to the gift. So if you give 拢100 it is worth 拢125 to the charity. This scheme costs taxpayers more than 拢1 billion a year. But should we subsidise charities? One woman who thinks not is Lady Moyra Bannister, who wrote to the Times to say ''All Gift Aid should be scrapped. It is preposterous that taxpayers are subsidising charities, even those with apparent merit. '' Lady Bannister debates the issues with John Low, from the Charities Aid Foundation.

An ex-employee of Aviva was sentenced last week in Manchester Crown Court for stealing data from his employer and selling it to a 'data broker'. It ended up with a claims management company, now out of business, and then two solicitors. Bob Howard tracks the path - and the value - of this stolen data and asks was there a weak link where it could have been stopped? The programme also hears from Andrew Morrish at Aviva.

Some cash deposits held in Self-Invested Personal Pensions will be put in the same risk category as investments in foreign property and storage pods under new rules from the Financial Conduct Authority. That could mean that SIPP providers will be wary of cash deposits and may charge higher fees, pricing cautious investors out of using cash as a pension asset.
Claire Trott, head of pensions technical at the SIPP provider Talbot and Muir and IFA Mark Meldon highlight the issues involved.

Available now

30 minutes

Chapters

  • Aviva Fraud

    An ex-employee of insurer Aviva has pleaded guilty to fraud.

    Duration: 08:45

  • Gift Aid

    When you give to charity do you tick the box that says please Gift Aid this donation?

    Duration: 05:26

  • SIPPS

    People who keep their pension funds in cash may face less choice from next year.

    Duration: 07:23

  • Tax Change

    How the Taxman is about to put his party hat on.

    Duration: 00:48

Related links


Aviva Data Theft Conviction


Gift Aid


SIPPs


Broadcasts

  • Sat 12 Dec 2015 12:04
  • Sun 13 Dec 2015 21:00

The Death of Retirement

The Death of Retirement

Money Box explores what retirement might look like in the future,

Download this programme

Subscribe to this programme or download individual episodes.

Podcast