When we pay for our purchases at checkout, we are often asked to add a few dollars to donate to a cause.
Charles Pierre writes to us. He does not trust this approach. Thanks to these donations, he says, large chains donate large sums to charities. Requests :
Can they get an official receipt for donations that qualify for tax credits or deductions?
Non.
asked by invoiceThe Canada Revenue Agency asserts, “When a retail store collects donations from customers for a registered charity, it is the customers who make the donation, not the retail store. Therefore, because customers are the true donors, the store will not be entitled to a receipt when it gives the money that was made. collected for the charity.”
This rule applies throughout Canada and also applies to anonymous donations that employees of this company may make during a fundraiser at work.
In fact, do companies pretend to be the real donor when these sums come from their customers? “There is no mechanism in the Canada Revenue Agency that would make it possible to know if donations made by a company actually come from its coffers, and not from the pockets of its customers,” explains Jean-Marc Fontaine. , one of those. The directors of Philab, the Canadian Network of Philanthropic Research Partnerships.
The agency asserts: “Registered charities are generally not required to provide information regarding the identity of donors to the agency,” its representative notes in an email to invoice. On the other hand, registered charities are not obligated to investigate the source of the funds used by the donor for the donation. “
Neither the agency nor Philab experts identified a specific instance in which the company would have loaned itself to such a scheme.
When in doubt, Jean-Marc Fontaine suggests donating directly to nonprofits rather than donating to a company that calls itself an intermediary.
What is the minimum to receive a receipt? There is no rule. Each charity decides how much to issue a receipt for. So, get to know their policy!
journalist : Francois Sanche
Research journalist : Isabelle Roberge
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