Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 1 October 2013
71. Deputy Martin Ferris asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he has discussed with the Department of Finance the tax relief for donations to sporting bodies contained in section 41 of the 2002 Finance Bill; his views on the scheme; and if it has succeeded in its objectives of maximising donations to sporting bodies and generally contributing to the funding of sport. [40893/13]
View answerThe question is about tax relief for donations to sporting bodies. Section 41 of the Finance Act, 2002 inserts Section 847A into the Taxes Consolidation Act, 1997 to provide a scheme of tax relief for relevant donations to approved sports bodies for the funding of approved projects. The Revenue Commissioners administer this scheme. Under the scheme, if the Revenue Commissioners certify an organisation as an "approved sports body", that body may then apply to the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport to have a project approved. If the Department is satisfied that the said project comes with the parameters of the scheme, and if the body provides the required documentation, the approved body is granted a certificate by the Department stating that the project is an approved project for the purposes of the tax relief. The nature of the tax relief for donations will depend on whether the taxpayer is a PAYE taxpayer, an individual on self-assessment, or a company.
It has not been necessary to have any discussion with the Minister for Finance regarding the scheme. I can confirm that the Scheme is well received by sports clubs. To date in 2013, the Department has approved 17 projects. Since 2010, 81 separate projects have been approved. For further information on the scheme, interested organisations should contact the Revenue Commissioners in Nenagh.
