To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what tax incentives are available to individuals wishing to make financial donations to arts institutions in the UK; and what the cost of these incentives was to the public purse in each of the last 10 years. (140750)

There are several tax incentives available to individuals wishing to make financial donations to arts institutions in the UK, provided the organisation is a registered charity. These include gift aid, payroll giving, relief on gifts of shares, securities and land and buildings. Gifts of assets to charities or for national purposes are also exempt from inheritance tax and capital gains tax. Guidance about tax effective giving by individuals to charities is available on the HMRC website at

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/charities/donors/tax-efficient.htm.

It is not possible to ascertain the amounts of these reliefs in respect of arts organisations because HMRC records do not distinguish amounts repaid to or claimed by charities according to the type of charity. However, estimates of the aggregate costs of reliefs on donations to charities by individuals are published on the HMRC website at

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/charities/menu.htm.