Minister Lebouthillier highlights efforts to help vulnerable Canadians access the benefits they are entitled to

MONTRÉAL, March 19, 2018 /CNW Telbec/ - One of the major commitments of the Government of Canada is to make tax filing easier so that the most vulnerable Canadians have access to all the credits and benefits to which they are entitled, including the Canada child benefit. That is why the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) is introducing concrete measures to reduce barriers for them.

Today, the Honourable Diane Lebouthillier, Minister of National Revenue, met with a number of community organizations that provide assistance to vulnerable people in Montréal. During the discussions, participants presented solutions that the CRA could consider to make the services it offers more fair, more helpful and easier for Canadians to access. The Minister highlighted initiatives such as the Volunteer Program, as the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program (CVITP) is known in Quebec, the simplification of communications products and forms distributed to taxpayers and the launch of the File my Return automated phone service. The Minister also took the opportunity to present the findings of the first ethnographic study conducted by the CRA on the experiences of homeless and housing-insecure Canadians.

Minister Lebouthillier also visited Accueil Bonneau, a shelter that has served Montréal's homeless population for more than 140 years. She also held a roundtable with volunteers from Projet changement and other community organizations that prepare federal and provincial tax returns for eligible individuals through the Volunteer Program. The CVITP is an essential program where volunteers across the country help hundreds of thousands of Canadians with their taxes. Budget 2018 proposes to double the size of this program to help even more Canadians get the benefits they are entitled to.

Quote

"Filing a tax return opens the door to benefits that can make all the difference in the lives of those who need them the most. If you need help, volunteers with the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program are there for you. I want to thank all the dedicated people across Canada who are showing what can be accomplished when Canadians help each other."     

- The Honourable Diane Lebouthillier, Minister of National Revenue

Quick Facts

• The Community Volunteer Income Tax Program completes income tax returns for taxpayers with modest incomes and simple tax situations.
• In Quebec, this program is called the Volunteer Program and is jointly administered by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) and Revenu Québec.
• Last year, in Quebec, more than 3,550 volunteers from 532 organizations helped close to 164,000 people by completing their federal and provincial tax returns.
• In February 2018, the CRA launched a new service called File My Return. Over 950,000 eligible Canadians with a low or a fixed income that is unchanged year-to-year have been invited to file their return over the phone. They simply have to answer a few questions from an automated phone service and they don't have to do any complicated calculations.

Associated Links

The Canada Revenue Agency is launching the 2018 tax filing season 
Minister Lebouthillier announces improvements to tax filing services for Canadians 
Community Volunteer Income Tax Program        
Ethnography of homeless and housing-insecure Canadians' experiences filing taxes and accessing benefits

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SOURCE Canada Revenue Agency