Volunteer help
Tax gurus offer assistance with filing income tax
Free help is available for people who need assistance filing their tax returns.
The Community Volunteer Income Tax Program is offering free clinics until the April 27 at various locations throughout the county.
Allan Murray, a volunteer with the program, said the clinic is partnered with Canada Revenue Agency so people are trained to tax returns for free for low-income people.
He said all of the clinics, expect those at the New Glasgow library, welcome any one to drop in with all of their information needed to file their return. The New Glasgow library requires an appointment that can be done by contacting the library branch.
There are about 18 people volunteering their time at the clinics.
“It’s an excellent program and it’s all volunteer,” said volunteer Jim Fraser. “It’s gratifying when you get appreciation from the people you help. It doesn’t cost them a cent. You are devoted them to them, you give them a piece of paper when they leave that says it is all done and they just have to wait for their cheques.”
Murray said the volunteer group helps about 2,500 people a year file their tax returns. It usually takes about a half hour to do a return and when the person leaves, everything will
be filed with Revenue Canada.
“Usually we get seniors who start the year and like to get it done and then we get more students at the end,” he said, adding tax returns need to be filed by April 30.
Murray said if people don’t file their tax returns they will be ineligible to receive their GST, social assistance or child tax credit benefits from the federal government.