In 2016, NGOs will launch 1,272 programs aimed at improving the lives of nearly 7 million people in our country; 19,431 TP3T of the funds raised will be allocated to International Cooperation and 2,851 TP3T to the Environment.
Thanks to the solidarity of taxpayers who checked the "Activities of Social Interest" box on their 2015 income tax return, 470 social organizations will launch 1,272 social programs this year, benefiting nearly 7 million people at risk of social exclusion. Furthermore, the total amount raised will be used to implement projects in countries in Africa, Latin America, and Asia, carried out by development NGOs, and projects aimed at environmental protection.
The presentation of the 2016 "X Solidaria" campaign, which took place today at the headquarters of the Spanish Red Cross and was chaired by the Acting Minister of Health, Social Services and Equality, Alfonso Alonso, was attended by the President of the Platform of Social Action NGOs, Estrella RodrĂguez; the President of the Third Sector Platform, Luciano Poyato; the President of the Spanish Red Cross, Javier Senent; and various beneficiaries of the programs and services developed by NGOs with funds raised through personal income tax.
The Acting Minister of Health, Social Services, and Equality, Alfonso Alonso, expressed his gratitude for the work and continued efforts carried out by NGOs. This work, he emphasized, has been and continues to be important, following several years of economic crisis and the consequences, in the form of unemployment, it has had on so many Spanish families.
In turn, Alfonso Alonso highlighted that significant progress has been made over the years, such as the creation of the Civil Dialogue Roundtable and the approval of the new laws on Volunteering and the Third Sector.
The President of the Platform of Social Action NGOs, Estrella RodrĂguez, has confirmed that "there are still 9 million taxpayers who do not tick the "Solidarity X". One 30% does not tick any box and one 16% ticks exclusively the box for the Catholic Church, which represents 46% of the total number of people who filed their Income Tax return in 2015."
For her part, Estrella RodrĂguez has invited taxpayers, starting tomorrow, the day they can begin to confirm their Income Tax return, to not forget to review the draft checking that they have marked the "Solidarity X" box, "a simple gesture that costs us nothing and that allows NGOs to address the specific needs of 7 million people at risk of social exclusion each year," she pointed out.
The President of the Third Sector Platform, Luciano Poyato, stated that NGOs "ask taxpayers to check this box on their tax returns because this way we contribute to the development of our society, to the maintenance of democracy, and to the individual guarantees and rights it enshrines."
Thus, Luciano Poyato explained that the money raised is allocated to "programs aimed at supporting children and families, the elderly, people with disabilities, women at risk of exclusion, immigrants, people with addictions, or groups that find themselves in a situation of exclusion for various reasons." He also noted that "an action as simple as marking an X on the income tax return can change the lives of millions of people who need the solidarity of taxpayers." Finally, the President of the Third Sector Platform took advantage of the acting Minister's presence to "underline the need to achieve a financing model that offers stability and sustainability to the sector" and "to continue fulfilling the basic function of territorial balance that NGOs perform with these funds," he stated.
The President of the Spanish Red Cross, Javier Senent, who welcomed the attendees, stated that "thanks to the people who mark the 'Solidarity X' on their Income Tax Return, the Spanish Red Cross is developing more than 50 projects aimed at the most vulnerable population, with which we will support more than 425,000 people in 2016."
Checking the Activities of Social Interest box is a charitable gesture that costs taxpayers nothing and allows them to allocate 0.7% of their taxes to social programs run by NGOs that address specific needs. It is possible to check the Activities of Social Interest box even if the Catholic Church box is already checked and allocate 0.7% to each of them. By checking both boxes simultaneously, the aid is not divided, but added together.
The âX Solidariaâ campaign, aimed at informing and raising awareness among taxpayers to tick the box for Activities of Social Interest on their annual income tax return, is coordinated by the Platform of Social Action NGOs and has the support of the Third Sector Platform, the Spanish Volunteer Platform, the Network for the Fight against Poverty and Social Exclusion in Spain (EAPN-ES), the Spanish Committee of Representatives of People with Disabilities (CERMI), the Platform of Children's Organizations and the Coordinator of NGOs for Development-Spain.
More information: www.xsolidaria.org
You can also see the materials of the X Solidaria Campaign:
Pulse at street level about what the declarants know about the Activities of General Interest box.
Press Release: Communication from the Social Action NGO Platform. April 5, 2016
