About us
Tax Volunteers is a UK registered charity in England (1102276) and Scotland (SC045819) and an independent company limited by guarantee. The charity was established in 2004. Tax Help for Older People is a service from Tax Volunteers that provides free, independent and expert advice and help for older people on lower incomes (£20,000 gross a year or less).
We operate across the UK from our office based near Bridport in Dorset, assisted by a team of staff along with a national network of 420 tax volunteers across the UK. These volunteers give their time and expertise free of charge because they recognise how difficult the tax system can be for older people who can’t afford professional advice, and they want to use their skills to benefit the community; most of them are currently practising or retired tax professionals, including retired HM Revenue and Customs staff. For further details of how we are governed and run, the most recent Annual Review can be accessed here – Tax Volunteers Annual report
Our history
Published in December 1998, “Older people on low incomes – the case for a friendlier tax system” was the very first report of the Low Incomes Tax Reform Group (LITRG), a committee of the Chartered Institute of Taxation, which is the leading professional body in the United Kingdom concerned solely with taxation.
In the absence of any real action on the part of HM Revenue and Customs to address the problems highlighted therein, LITRG initiated Tax Help for Older People in April 2001 as a one year pilot project in Wolverhampton and in rural areas of the South West of England, chosen as representing very different areas but having in common a substantial population of older people on low incomes. The objective was to provide accessible tax help and advice for older, more vulnerable and unrepresented people on low or modest incomes. Funding for the pilot initially came from the CIOT and the Nuffield Foundation and it was established with the help of just a small number of volunteers.
The success and take up of the service led to the eventual establishment of Tax Volunteers as a charity in 2004 specifically to run Tax Help for Older People services. The charity retains its close links with LITRG, which in turn exists to give a voice to those who cannot afford to pay for tax advice and campaigns to achieve improvement and change within both Revenue and Government.
Our funding comes from a variety of sources; the CIOT itself through LITRG and the Association of Taxation Technicians (ATT), donations and grants from trusts & foundations, the corporate sector and central government. Such a varied funding network helps Tax Volunteers to remain completely independent and provide impartial advice and advocacy for those who really need it.
Our vision, aims & values - How we are funded - Our Trustees - Vacancies
