Donations to Irish charities may drop by as much as a fifth due to the changeover to the euro currency on January 1st, a group representing 78 charities and voluntary groups has warned.
The Irish Charities Tax Reform Group warned yesterday of a potential 20 per cent decrease in donations from the public because of the currency move.
At the group's 10th annual conference in Dublin, chairwoman Ms Deirdre Mortell said the charity and voluntary sector were as prepared for the euro changeover as any other.
"However, as our members rely on public donations to support our work, we are conscious of the potential decrease in donations as a result of the changeover.
Charities that depend on coin collections in particular are concerned that this will have a major effect on their income," she said.
"We would urge the general public to take this into account when making contributions and increase their donations from £1 to
Ms Columba Faulkner, national secretary of the Society of St Vincent de Paul, told The Irish Times that the charity was concerned about the potential impact on its income from the changeover.
"At the moment, our main source of income is the church gate collection, which raised £5 million last year alone. That comes mainly from people throwing in a £1 coin," she said.
One euro coin will, however, be worth just over 78 pence.
A sum of €5 million would be the equivalent of just £3.94 million. St Vincent de Paul had a total income of £16 million last year.
"We are hoping to have some sort of campaign to encourage people to throw in a €2 coin instead," Ms Faulkner said.
This would, she hoped, be launched along with the society's annual report and church-gate appeal in December.
The Irish charities' group conference heard tax reduction measures introduced in last year's Budget have had major benefits for charities here.
Some 1,900 charities and voluntary groups have registered for the new scheme, which allows corporate and individual donors to donate sums in excess of £200 in a tax-efficient manner.
One charity working in developing countries estimated it had gained £400,000 last year because of the new tax measures.