Memorial Grant Scheme
On the sixtieth anniversary of VJ Day, the Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown announced the launch of a new scheme for UK charities and faith groups, which will refund the VAT costs incurred in the construction, renovation and maintenance of memorials.
The refund scheme, proposed in the 2005 Budget, recognises the social value of memorials as a means of commemoration. It will apply to statues, monuments and similar constructions, and will work alongside the existing zero rate VAT for memorial buildings.
To give a permanent VAT relief to memorials, as well as to listed places of worship, the Government is seeking agreement at European level to allow a reduced VAT rate to be charged for their construction, repair and maintenance.
The scheme will be ready to receive applications on 11th November. Applications will be considered in respect of VAT on qualifying supplies made on or after 16 March 2005, and refunds will be made for the full 17.5 per cent VAT charged on these supplies. For a monument constructed at a cost of £1 million, the charity would receive a refund of around £150,000. The annual cost of the scheme is estimated at £5 million per year.
The scheme will cover the VAT costs incurred by UK charities in the construction, renovation and maintenance of memorials where these:
- are solely for the purposes of commemorating people, events or animals;
- bear a commemorative inscription; and
- meet a public access test of a minimum of 30 hours a week.
The purpose of this refund scheme is to recognise the social value of memorials, therefore the scheme has been targeted to cover structures that are used solely as memorials. The scheme also excludes gardens, although minor landscaping and planting undertaken alongside the memorial and in the course of this construction may be eligible. Private expressions of remembrance, such as headstones, are not covered by the scheme.
Contact details for the scheme are as follows:
Memorials Grant Scheme
PO Box 609
Newport
NP10 8QD
South Wales
Tel: 0845 600 6430
More information on the Memorial Grant scheme can be found at: www.memorialgrant.org.uk
You can access the guidance notes and application forms by clicking on the links below. Please note that completed application forms must be sent to the address above.
Memorial Grant Scheme Application Form PDF (211kb)
Memorial Grant Scheme Guidance Notes PDF (248kb)
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