In the lead-up to Christmas, Philip Dunne MP is calling on businesses across the Ludlow constituency to support charities in the area and beyond by signing up to Payroll Giving, a scheme that enables employees to give to charity through the payroll and get tax relief at the time. Businesses with less than 500 staff that sign up to Payroll Giving before 31st December 2006 will receive a cash payment of up to £500.

Payroll Giving enables employees to donate to any UK charity straight from their gross salary, giving immediate tax relief of up to 40%. As well as the cash payment to small businesses, the Payroll Giving Grants programme matches the first £10 donated by each employee up till March 2007.

As an additional incentive for businesses to get involved, January 2006 saw the launch of the Payroll Giving Quality Mark. Available to businesses of all sizes, the scheme provides all employers that sign up to Payroll Giving with a certificate, use of a logo and rewards those that achieve minimum level participation rates with Bronze, Silver or Gold Awards.

Mr Dunne said:

"Christmas is traditionally a time for giving to charity. Payroll Giving offers even the smallest organisations with minimal budgets the chance to connect with charities that support their local community. A cash payout of up to £500 is available at the same time. The Payroll Giving Grants programme ends in a few months, so this is the last chance for local businesses to embrace the scheme and provide vital income for good causes."