Do Personal Fundraisers for Medical Bills Get Taxed in the UK?

I'm raising money in the UK via GoFundMe to help cover my friend's medical bills in Turkey. This is a personal fundraiser, not affiliated with any charity. The funds will go to my UK bank account and then either be sent to them or paid directly to the hospital. The money is strictly for medical purposes—no profit, loans, or personal use involved. Am I required to pay any taxes on these funds in the UK? Would HMRC treat this as taxable income, or is it considered a gift? Looking for insights or experiences—any advice is appreciated!

Hi,
HMRC might consider donations to be a business’s income and therefore tax-deductible. If the money raised from crowdfunding campaigns qualifies as donations, where the contributor expects nothing in return, it is unlikely to attract VAT .
As per the law, you are required to report revenue from crowdfunding on your returns. This includes gifts, which are considered taxable income.
For donation crowdfunding, the backer cannot claim tax relief unless the project is a charity and if so, will be awarded in the form of Gift Aid. Further, as per inheritance tax law, the donation made by the backer is considered a potentially exempt transfer.
There is no tax relief for rewards crowdfunding, as it’s an advance payment.
As for debt crowdfunding, if the lender is a company, the taxing of interest payments or loan write-offs are provided under the loan relationship rules. Further, there is Social Investment Tax Relief for donations to a charitable project. Finally, if the loan cannot be recovered, there is a Capital Gains Tax relief on loans to traders.
With equity crowdfunding, relief is available with Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) and Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS). Moreover, if the equity shares report a loss or become devalued, capital gains tax or income tax loss relief is claimable.
Thank you.