New Zealanders' charity donation amounts falling

  • 22/06/2016
(Getty)
(Getty)

The amount New Zealanders are donating to charity is falling.

Tax refund firm MyTax says donations claimed by taxpayers fell to an average of $761 last year, compared to the previous year's $841. That's a drop of around ten percent.

The numbers are based on analysis of more than 300,000 tax returns filed with IRD.

MayTax chief executive Lester Binns says a person's income is not necessarily a reliable indicator of how much they choose to donate.

"Although the average amount donated was highest with incomes in excess of $70,000, it was interesting to see there was only a $38 difference between those in the $60,000 - $70,000 bracket and those earning less than $20,000."

Each group donated around $692.

The average donation made to schools dropped by around 10 percent over the past year.

Donations to religious groups fell by 19 percent to $398.

Donations to registered charities, religious organisations, state schools, kindergartens and other IRD approved organisations are partially tax deductible.

Newshub.