Recent data published by Statistics Canada shows Guelphite tax filers are above the national average when it comes charitable tax donation claim filed in 2020, with a total of $52,260,000 in claimed donations.
The report shows of the 122,670 tax filers in 2020 residing in the Guelph census metropolitan area, 27,370 people reported donating to an approved organizations for which official tax receipts were provided and claimed on tax returns.
A local median of $410 was claimed as a charitable donation in 2020 with 22 per cent of tax filers claiming a charitable donation.
This is up slightly from the 2019 census data which shows the median donation was $380 from roughly 23 per cent of tax filers.
The numbers from 2020 are higher than the Canadian median donation of $340, however, lower than the Ontario median donation of $440.
The highest percentage of donors were aged 65 years and older, accounting for 31 per cent of donors, followed by those aged 55 to 64 years at 21 per cent and those aged 35 to 44 years at 16 per cent.
Males were found to donate slightly higher with an average median donation of $470, with the females’ median donation at $360, according to the report.
Guelph residences are in line with the median donations from both Kingston, Ont., and Peterborough, Ont., as all three cities reported the median average donation of $410.
In 2020, all provinces and territories except Quebec and Nunavut recorded an increase in median donation amount. Ontario had the highest median annual donation increase of 10 per cent.
According to the report, charitable donations in Canada are heavily concentrated among donors with higher incomes.
“As total income goes up, so does the median donation. In 2020, the median donation for tax filers with at least $150,000 in income was $820. These donors represented about 1 in 10 donors, but they provided 40.5 per cent of the total donation amount in 2020,” the report reads.
Fundraising efforts within the community have typically been successful, with The Foundation of Guelph General Hospital announcing last month it exceeded its $34 million fundraising goal to support expanding the Emergency Department.
An online auction in March for the people of Ukraine raised nearly $5,000, bringing the total donated amount to $27,000.
Another example was the Salvation Army Christmas Campaign which surpassed its annual Christmas Campaign fundraising goal of $345,000 with total donations coming in at $409,661.
The Statistics Canada release reports only on donations to charities and approved organizations for which official tax receipts were provided and claimed on tax returns. It is possible to carry donations forward for up to five years after the year in which they were made. Therefore, donations reported for the 2020 taxation year could include donations that were made in any of the five previous years.
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