Government’s rewrite of Gift Aid rules leaves taxpayers, who sign the new declaration when making one-off donations, open to the risk of owing the taxman more.

The updated rules helpfully warn the donor that they must have paid at least the equivalent amount of tax to the amount of Gift Aid claimed on ‘all of my donations in that tax year’, and far from deterring donors, as has been suggested by some, many vulnerable taxpayers will not appreciate what the declaration means to them, and sign it, unwittingly opening up the risk of owing the taxman because of their generosity.

How many will be aware, from next April, of the effect of the radical changes to savings income and dividend income?