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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Plans for education on philanthropy in primary schools presented

Belgrade, 25 December 2019

Prime Minister Ana Brnabic today chaired the third session of the Council on Philanthropy, at which it was announced that the topic of the National Day of Giving 2020 will be accessibility, and plans for education on philanthropy in primary schools and the promotion of a rich Serbian philanthropic history were presented.

The participants in the session endorsed the proposal by Co-Chairman of the Council Veran Matic to pay tribute to John Frothingham - an American lawyer, participant in the Great War and one of the largest donors to the Serbian people, who built four American educational homes for war orphans and abandoned children, including one in Vranje which should be rebuilt.

It was emphasised that, at the recommendation of the Council and the Working Group on Improvement of Legal and Fiscal Framework for Giving for the Common Good by Legal Entities and Improvement of Existing Legal Mechanisms, the non-taxable amount of scholarships and student loans has been increased from RSD 11,741 to RSD 30,000 a month, which will contribute to a better standard of living for more students.

At the recommendation of the Philanthropy Council, the Tax Administration has developed and published a Guide for Donors' Tax Benefits, which clearly presents the conditions for obtaining tax relief, as well as adequate documentation of expenditures, and thanks to this guidance, it is expected that companies will invest in health, education and training, scientific, humanitarian, religious and sporting purposes, environmental protection, as well as giving to institutions and / or providers of social protection services.

Donors also receive tax relief for expenditures for humanitarian aid, that is, for eliminating the consequences of emergency situations made to the Republic of Serbia, the Autonomous Province or a local self-government unit.

The results of the work were presented by the members of the Working Group for the Advancement of the Legal Framework for Donating Surplus Food, which brought together a large number of experts from ministries, corporate and the civil sector.

The Working Group continues to work on the formulation of a proposal and legal framework to regulate the process of food donation, which will increase the amount of food donated and reduce the negative impact that food destruction has on the environment.

When it comes to promoting the culture of giving, which is also one of the goals of the Philanthropy Council, it was said at the session that the National Day of Giving was celebrated for the second time on 9 October, which is also the birthday of Serbian scientist Mihajlo Pupin, and that this year, the Serbian Philanthropic Forum, with local partners, raised RSD 8.2 million.

The funds raised were used for the purchase of innovative teaching aids that will be used by more than 10,000 students in 60 schools, in 30 municipalities and cities across the country.

All working groups presented recommendations and analyses of the legal framework, as well as comparative analyses with the countries in the region, and in particular with the EU Member States.

The working groups will continue to work with the Philanthropy Council to prepare new proposals and solutions to improve the legal framework for giving.

In addition to the permanent members, the session of the council was also attended by MP and Head of the Working Group on Harmonisation and Improvement of Implementation of Measures for Creating an Accessible Environment for Persons with Disabilities Ljupka Mihajlovska, Director of the Office for Civil Society Cooperation Zarko Stepanovic and Jelena Avramovic of USAID.