Vale Wildlife Hospital Faces £12,000 VAT Dispute with British Gas Over Charity Rate

• Vale Wildlife Hospital charged over £12,000 due to incorrect VAT certificate
• British Gas requires accurate VAT certificate for charity rate
• Charity founder Caroline Gould claims they should pay lower VAT rate
• More than 60% of premises used for charitable purposes
• Charity has always submitted VAT declaration without issues
• British Gas informed charity of 20% VAT rate instead of 5%
• £12,200 withdrawn from charity’s account unexpectedly
• Charity raises funds through sales and activities outside the hospital
• Vale Wildlife Hospital relies on public donations with high running costs
• Treated over 8,000 animals in 2024
• British Gas claims charity’s information was insufficient for VAT reduction eligibility

Source: bbc.com

Note that this post was (partially) written with the help of AI. It is always useful to review the original source material, and where needed to obtain (local) advice from a specialist.

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