Travellers face toughest ‘tax hike’

A group of tough tax professionals (current and retired CIOT members) and friends have signed up to complete the #KiliTax2022 sponsored challenge to ascend Mount Kilimanjaro. This is in aid of the UK tax charities TaxAid and Tax Help for Older People. Money raised will go to the charities' Bridge the Gap campaign (BTG), which is split equally between the two tax charities.

Next month’s (September) trip is two years late because the COVID pandemic scuppered the planned 2020 set-off date. Each person is making a significant personal commitment, including paying the full cost of their trip, so all the funds raised will go to the charities.

Due to the charities need for more resources, the intrepid group of volunteers have set themselves the challenging target of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro and raising £34,000 - £2 for every foot the team climbs. With its peak of almost 6,000m, it is the highest mountain in Africa and the highest self-standing mountain in the world. They will be supported by Action Challenge, the adventure specialists, walking up the Kilimanjaro Lemosha route from Londorossi Gate in the tropical forest at the base, through altitude mountain sickness (AMS) inducing heights, to Arctic conditions at the summit.

Susan Ball, CIOT President, said:

“This is a tax hike with a difference, not least because it is one that tax charities will welcome and those on low incomes will not be afraid of. I wish the brave group taking on this challenge the very best of luck and hope they go well.

“I also hope the tax fraternity will rally around in the next few weeks and sponsor these trekkers, to make this delayed trip even more worthy. The two tax charities are the only UK charities dedicated to providing free tax advice to vulnerable people on low incomes who need help and support to cope with the UK tax system and yet are unable to afford to pay for the help they need.”

Valerie Boggs, CEO of the tax charities, said:

“Those taxpayers seeking help from the charities are at the most disadvantaged end of unrepresented taxpayers on low incomes. Their need for such pro bono help has grown significantly since the charities' formation, due to changes in how people earn income and its tax treatment and due to the impact of COVID and the current cost of living crisis.”

The trip is from 15 September to 26 September 2022.

You can sponsor the group at: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/KiliTax2022-Team. Or a team member at: https://www.justgiving.com/team/KiliTax2020 - click on the ‘Donate to a team member’ button.

Notes for editors

1. Here are the hardy trekkers

Rachel Austin – People and Purpose Director for Tax and Legal at Deloitte, and keen supporter of the tax charities. Hoping that years of running up and down stairs and the hill in Greenwich Park after her three sons will equip her for the challenge of climbing Kilimanjaro.

Brian Chapman – Tax Help trustee. Experienced tax professional with spells in practice, industry and HMRC. Cycled from London to Dorset last year to raise funds for the tax charities. But he is not taking the bike this time.

Eleanor Chapman – Daughter of a ‘tax fanatic’. Lover of challenges and IT security, striving to keep as many people safe from cyber-attacks as possible. The tax charities also align with the ethos of protecting people, so that along with DNA influenced the decision to climb this beast of a mountain.

Margaret Curran – Margaret works in the CIOT's technical team. She is very excited to be climbing Mount Kilimanjaro and has walked thousands of steps preparing for the challenge, including a recent night climb up Mount Snowdon. Margaret is proud to be supporting the two tax charities.

Louise Maybury – Global Trade Advisory Consultant at Deloitte. Joined Deloitte as a BrightStart Apprentice in 2017. Climbing Kilimanjaro has been on her bucket list for a long time, and she is looking forward to finally ticking it off the list after signing up back in 2019. She has been enjoying training walks in nearby Windsor Great Park.

Chris Moody - Chris has been a volunteer adviser for TaxAid since 2002 and has encountered numerous instances where vulnerable people have fallen foul of the tax system. He finds his work for TaxAid much more rewarding than his normal day job in accountancy. The help TaxAid gives can make a real difference to people's lives.

Tina Riches – a keen tax charities supporter, Tina previously worked in practice and for the CIOT, heading the technical team. During the COVID deferrals, Tina climbed up stairs the height of Kilimanjaro five times, with a heavy rucksack, and ran the London Virtual Marathon for the tax charities. She is looking forward to smashing that mountain.

2. Ten facts about Kilimanjaro

• Kilimanjaro is a volcanic massif in northeastern Tanzania, near the Kenya border
• Uhuru Peak, on its central cone, Kibo, at 19,340 feet (5,895 metres) is the highest point in Africa
• World’s highest freestanding mountain
• In 1973 Mount Kilimanjaro National Park was established
• The park was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987
• The forests of the southern slopes and surrounding areas are home to elephants, buffalo, and eland (oxlike antelopes). The forests also host a rich variety of birdlife, including the rare Abbot’s starling.
• The Kilimanjaro region is one of Tanzania’s leading producers of mild coffee, barley, wheat, and sugar
• The region is populated by the Chaga (Chagga), Pare, Kahe, and Mbugu peoples
• Some 40,000 trekkers are drawn to Tanzania’s Mount Kilimanjaro each year
• ‘Pole-pole’, the Swahili catchphrase for ‘slowly, slowly’, is said over and over again by guides