Skip to content

Help is on hand for tax time again this year

It won’t be long before the annual Income Tax Return package makes an appearance in our post office.

It won’t be long before the annual Income Tax Return package makes an appearance in our post office, ready to be completed and filed prior to the April 30 deadline set by Canada Revenue.

For some of us this is viewed as a daunting task and one to be avoided until the final date draws near. The good news, however, is there is a free, fully confidential volunteer community service. Designed specifically to provide assistance to adults and families of all ages (not just seniors) having a low to moderate income, and whose return will be straightforward and not complex, and non business, this service is available simply by requesting it.

Our Canada Revenue-trained team made up of local volunteers, most of whom have made their services available freely over the past ten years, is currently preparing to receive their 2013 update-related training under the scrutiny of the Federal Government staff.

The overall purpose of this program is to ensure that all adults deemed eligible to apply for assistance, get the help they need. Once you return is completed and filed with Canada Revenue, updated details such as your date of birth and previous years’ income, validates your eligibility to be placed on the central role, ensuring that recipients receive the full range of financial benefit entitlements for which they are eligible.

It may come as a nasty surprise to some when an anticipated benefit cheque fails to arrive on time.

Unless your personal income tax return details are sent in to Canada Revenue by the deadline date, your benefits may eventually be received but are likely to be inconveniently delayed owing to a lengthy backlog of applications. Your return will simply be put to the back of the queue often causing considerable distress to the individual.

One of the vital aspects delivered to applicants, through the efforts of our volunteer team of trained helpers, is the possibility of your return dating from previous years be reviewed upon your request. It is not unusual for us to discover, through this process, that certain financial entitlements had not been applied for, resulting in your not receiving certain additional benefits sometimes dating back for several years. Such entitlements, once validated by Canada Revenue upon receipt of your tax return documentation, can result in your receiving an unexpected  financial windfall.

More details concerning our income tax program services which thousands of  limited income adult Canadians benefit from will be carried in this column, along with the reminder of how one may apply to receive free assistance in completing and filing your package, throughout the weeks ahead. Contact names and telephone numbers or email addresses will be made available for reference, upon completion of this year’s training program.

Anyone wishing to participate actively as a member of our Community Volunteer Income Tax Program team, and who is willing to undertake the mandated training to ensure accuracy of the information supplied when completing a tax package on behalf of a client, may contact me for further information (Marilyn Boxwell, general coordinator) at 265-0075 or aquaconn@columbiacable.net.