This situation raised eyebrows among many citizens. An online petition signed by more than 30,000 people is asking the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) to extend the deadline to June 15.
We saw people waiting on the phone for three to four hours [pour parler à l’Agence du revenu] And it’s not normal for us
I condemn Eric Saumurey, Chartered Professional Accountant of Ontario, who started the petition.
This waiting time is due to staff shortage due to the strike, says Mr Saumure in an interview on ICI’s airwaves RDI,
Canadians are supposed to know tax law, but they [ne peuvent pas poser] questions. And if they commit mistakes, there is a provision for punishment. […] This is inappropriate
The accountant also states that he sees some errors in the information entered online byarchBut could not inform about it due to not being able to contact the staff.
low income people hit hard
According to Eric Saumurray, low-income people, who often don’t have access to an accountant to answer their tax questions, will be the first to be affected by the reduction in federal services when it comes time to file a tax return.
there is no one to help them
he argues. This year, there is simply no support.
Canada and Quebec impose a principal penalty equal to 5% of the balance in the event of a late filing of the declaration. A penalty of 1% is added for each completed month of delay.
In spite of everything, Mr. Saumure advises citizens not to submit the declaration if they doubt some of the information contained therein. The accountant also suggests sending documents electronically rather than by post, so that they can be processed much faster.
tax news
There are new measures to keep in mind while filing tax returns this year.
For first-time home buyers, the tax credit is now $10,000, double what it was in 2021. First-time buyers will receive a federal refund of up to $1,500 on the purchase of their property.
Some families who do not have access to a private dental insurance scheme may be able to benefit from dental benefits for children under the age of 12. To do this, the household income must be less than $90,000.
Some other new tax measures:
- housing allowance for people on low incomes;
- deductions for workers in the construction sector;
- Reimbursement of excess amounts paid under the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB).
It is to be noted that the deadline for filing income tax returns, which is normally April 30, has been pushed to May 1 this year, as April 30 is a Sunday.
However, a deadline of June 15 has been given for self-employed workers and their spouses or common-law partners.
