Hard-to-obtain tax credits and benefits for poor people

MONTREAL, May 26, 2020 /CNW Telbec/ - Often alone and isolated, the poorest people in our society struggle to do their taxes, which can have a devastating impact on their lives. In the context of the pandemic, this situation is even more complex. A simple deadline postponement for filing the tax return will not solve the problem: it is necessary to exempt welfare recipients from filing a tax return and automatically give them tax credits and other assistance that they're entitled to.

A tax return that impact daily life
Tax returns are essential to access the Solidarity tax credit, housing allowance, GST refund and subsidized rent.
"I witness the anxiety that people on welfare have regarding their taxes. We get calls every day.... Some people are sometimes more stressed by the urgency of filing their tax return than by the next delivery of their food basket," says Vanessa Tremblay-Girard, director of food security programs with Share the Warmth.

The right to the tax credit recognized by the Minister of Labour, Employment and Social Solidarity (MTESS)
Echoing the Protecteur du citoyen's report, Minister Jean Boulet acknowledged that it is difficult for people on welfare to file an income tax return but that they are entitled to their tax credits.
"There's many challenges. Some have functional limitations, mental health problems, low literacy level, low level of graduation, in short, these are people we have to help,"said the Minister, in his November 2019 announcement, when he made an announcement regarding his decision of allowing the solidarity credit to be given directly to people on welfare.

A government responsibility "shovelled" into the backyard of organizations!
Low-income people and welfare recipients who need help with their tax returns are knocking on local community organizations doors, but this is only moving the problem around. For community organizations, the lack of adequate funding undermines the development of these tax services. Every year, tax clinics are built at the expense of other activities.
"Setting up a tax clinic is no small task and existing resources such as the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program (CVITP) are not sufficient. Before the pandemic, it was already extremely problematic.  And we're not talking about the thousands of people who don't even go to these clinics for various reasons," explains Camille Bonenfant of the Comité des personnes assistées sociales de Pointe St-Charles. "In addition to the difficulty of finding qualified volunteers, registration is ridiculously complex in order to obtain the necessary access. We can't afford to hire extra staff to take on these tasks."

It should be remembered that many groups, at the call of the Advocacy Committee of Action Gardien, have recently ask to the Minister of Labour, Employment and Social Solidarity as well as Minister Finance to implement a better solution: to support people on social assistance and be more efficient for all.

The groups are calling on the government to exempt people on welfare from filing an income tax return and to give them access to the refunds, allowances and credits to which they are entitled.

It should be remembered that many groups, at the call of the Advocacy Committee of Action Gardien, have recently ask to the Minister of Labour, Employment and Social Solidarity as well as Minister Finance to implement a better solution: to support people on social assistance and be more efficient for all.

The Action Gardien Community Development Corporation (CDC) is the grouping of community organizations in the Pointe Saint-Charles neighbourhood. Action Gardien's mission is to take concerted action and mobilize organizations, citizens and local actors around social, political, economic and urban issues. Through citizen mobilization, Action Gardien aims to empowered people and improving their living conditions.

Organizations and groups :
Accueil Bonneau
Action Plus Sherbrooke
Carrefour d'éducation populaire de Pointe-Saint-Charles
Centre de ressources et d'action communautaire de La Petite-Patrie
Centre des aînés de Pointe St-Charles
Clinique communautaire de Pointe St-Charles
Comité des personnes assistées sociales (CPAS) Pointe Saint-Charles
Comité des sans emploi de Pointe Saint-Charles
Comité logement Rive-Sud
Dans la rue
Exeko
Groupe Ressource du Plateau Mont-Royal
LASTUSE du Saguenay
Le Refuge des Jeunes de Montréal
Les Services juridiques communautaires de Pointe-Saint-Charles et Petite-Bourgogne
Madame Prend Congé 
Partageons l'espoir
Projet 10
Projet Genèse
Réseau d'action des femmes en santé et services sociaux (RAFSSS)
Regroupement des organismes communautaires famille de Montréal (ROCFM)
Regroupement intersectoriel des organismes communautaires de Montréal (RIOCM)
Table régionale des organismes volontaires d'éducation populaire (TROVEP) Montréal
Welfare Rights Committee of South-West Montréal

SOURCE Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN)