Sundre and surrounding area residents who earn a modest income and have a basic tax situation can, if they so choose, get help filing their returns.
The Greenwood Neighbourhood Place Society is again making available the annual Community Volunteer Income Tax Program, which officially started on March 1 and continues until the official filing deadline at the end of April, said Sari Werezak, community resources coordinator.
Volunteers are at the society’s office, which is located on the west side of the Sundre Community Centre building, from Monday to Thursday during the hours between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. As of late last week, volunteers had already completed more than 50 returns in the first four days of the annual program, she said, adding the initiative has for the past several years continued to grow.
"Every year, stats go up.”
In 2014, roughly 160 residents sought help filing their 2013 tax returns. In 2015, that number jumped to almost 200, and in 2016 it continued to climb to roughly 240. Last year, volunteers provided assistance to almost 275 people, she said, adding she anticipates that number will increase this year as well.
"Without the volunteers this wouldn’t happen.”
There are seven volunteers, including some who have participated in the program for years as well as a few new faces, who all had to complete an approval process through the Canada Revenue Agency, she said.
"They’re very passionate about it.”
So while it’s too late for additional volunteers to get involved to help file taxes this season, anyone who might be interested in lending a hand next year can leave their name and contact information at GNP’s office, she said, adding recruitment for the program tends to begin in January.
Some volunteers are able to offer more time than others, depending on their availability, and there are no expectations in terms of time commitments, she said.
"People can volunteer as much or as little as they wish. We don’t want to overwhelm volunteers.”
A couple of volunteers even stay on year-round to help out the odd individual with, for example, catching up on back dated taxes, she said.
However, the assistance provided through the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program specifically caters only to people with basic tax situations and who fall below suggested income guidelines. The program does not accommodate complex returns such as self-employment, processing taxes for a deceased individual, reporting capital gains or losses, as well as businesses filings or bankruptcies, she said.
"We refer those out to a list of tax providers,” which include local as well as regional options with a variety of costs, she said.
"We have a list with price ranges.”
Generally speaking, those who can apply include individuals earning less than $30,000 as well as couples with no children who have a combined income of $40,000 or less. That threshold increases for couples with children, she said.
People who depend on income supports of some kind could potentially have their benefit payments interrupted should they fail to file their taxes on time, she said.
"It’s really crucial that we make this program available to them.”
For those who earn a modest income, or others such as seniors who might be on a fixed income, paying upwards of $100 to have their taxes processed and filed through a business can be a real hit. Additionally, not everyone in such situations necessarily even has easy access to means of transportation to reach such a service, she said.
Also, "some people just don’t know how to do it themselves, or don’t have a computer.”
Residents who desire to seek out assistance in filing their taxes must ensure they have all of their necessary T-slips in order as well as fill out some paperwork that essentially authorizes volunteers to prepare the returns as well as file them electronically, she said.
While many communities make this program available, some do not, and Sundre is fortunate to be able to provide this service to residents, she said, adding the society is in no way compensated by the government for this initiative.
On a side note, people should also be aware of tax scams. Fraudsters can fake their caller ID as well as solicit legitimate-looking digital correspondence. However, the Canada Revenue Agency will never ask for sensitive information via a random phone call, nor will police ever arrest someone because of overdue taxes, she said.
Visit canada.ca/taxes-help to find other available tax clinics, or for more information about this program and others, GNP’s office can be reached at 403-638-1011.
"This is just one small aspect of what we do here,” said Werezak, encouraging residents to learn more about other services the society provides.
"This program is a drop in the bucket compared with everything we offer.”
