New Zealanders' charity donation amounts falling

(Getty)

The amount New Zealanders are donating to charity is falling.

Tax refund firm MyTax says donations claimed by taxpayers fell to an average of $761 last year, compared to the previous year's $841. That's a drop of around ten percent.

The numbers are based on analysis of more than 300,000 tax returns filed with IRD.

MayTax chief executive Lester Binns says a person's income is not necessarily a reliable indicator of how much they choose to donate.

"Although the average amount donated was highest with incomes in excess of $70,000, it was interesting to see there was only a $38 difference between those in the $60,000 - $70,000 bracket and those earning less than $20,000."

Each group donated around $692.

The average donation made to schools dropped by around 10 percent over the past year.

Donations to religious groups fell by 19 percent to $398.

Donations to registered charities, religious organisations, state schools, kindergartens and other IRD approved organisations are partially tax deductible.

Newshub.

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