FINANCIAL UPDATE

I have just completed the accounts for 2000, another mammoth task, and passed all the books to George Coleman our independent examiner for inspection, so just time to write this article.

A summarised copy of the 2000 accounts has been produced again this year for easier reference, so in order to keep photocopying costs down full copies will only be issued on request to me please to other than members of the PCC and officials at St George's. (By the time this magazine is published the official accounts will have been distributed). A full copy will of course be displayed on the noticeboard at the back of the church for reference. The date of the APCM is Sunday April 1st after the 10.am Eucharist.

It is becoming apparent that some regular planned givers who have never previously signed a covenant are now declaring themselves to be taxpayers by making gift aid donations in the pink envelopes. If this is the case then we need to reconcile records and obtain a simple declaration from you so that the church can recover tax from all the money you donate. Please contact John Millard for the necessary form. Conversely if you are not a taxpayer and have completed a pink envelope by mistake please let me know urgently.

Also can I please remind you that the declaration on the front of the pink envelope must be filled in to satisfy the requirements of the Inland Revenue. Blank ones appear quite regularly - some I have managed to trace - but as my crystal ball is in for exchange others go unclaimed! Please make my job scheduling all these details a little bit easier. Thank you.

Now looking at my cash book the Alb fund has risen to £400 with additional donations and gift aid tax reclaimed. The Webb Ivory profit reached £83 and a copy of their Spring/Summer catalogue is on the book table at the back of the church. Pat Millard is happy to take any orders.

The retiring collection during January for the St Lukes Hospital for the Clergy realised £170.90 and the Rowans and Naomi House Hospices have each benefited by the sum of £34.50 from the proceeds of the raffle at the pantomime. The church annual insurance of £1,020.10 has been paid, together with annual Royal School of Church membership £58, annual capitation fee to the Havant Deanery Synod of £60 and a small instalment of only £2,200 towards the 2001 Quota. Redemptorist Publications have raised the cost of Sunday Bulletins from 98p to £1.05 per 25 copies. And finally the Portsmouth High School concert on February 7th raised £77.32 for general church funds including tax due on some gift aided donations in the retiring collection taken.

Linda Wainwright, Hon Treasurer to the PCC