ACT Most Charitable State

Australia’s most charitable state in 2012-13 was the Australian Capital Territory, according to the latest statistics from the Australian Tax Office – holding its top place from the previous year.

And according to the figures, Australians who claimed a tax deductible donation delivered almost $2.3 billion to charity in 2012-13.

The tax statistics show that just over 100,000 people in the ACT claimed $62,707,20 in tax deductions for their charitable donations.

This reveals an average donation of $261 across all individuals who lodged a tax return in 2012-13 – $40 per person more than their closest rivals in New South Wales.

NSW was the state with the most givers, with 1.45 million claiming charitable tax-deductible donations worth $885 million – up slightly from the previous year.

The figures show that the national average gift for all individuals who claimed a tax deduction is just $179 per person.

“Compiling Tax Stats is a significant undertaking each year,” ATO Second Commissioner Andrew Mills said.

“It adds to our picture of the Australian community, showing the spread of taxable income across the country, sources of income and data about business and work-related expenses.”

QUT’s Australian Centre for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies (ACPNS) is expected to publish a more detailed analysis of the ATO statistics in coming months.

Taxation statistics 2012-13 are available HERE.

Previous editions of Taxation statistics are available HERE.