Lots of help there for the taking

Dear editor: Time and time again, I hear stories of people (we are called taxpayers) not knowing about programs and financial supports that are available to them.

These can be through the federal government and the B.C. government. Not all eligible taxpayers (have to be married or common-law) know about the federal allowance for those between 60 and 65, when their partner gets the Old Age Security (OAS) pension.

Then there's the federal Guaranteed Income Supplement for low-income seniors getting the OAS. Why are our governments so secretive about these financial supports, which were designed to help those living in poverty? Sometimes taxpayers wait years to learn of these supports!

While the federal financial supports will be paid retroactively, they'll generally go back just 11 months.

There's another federal financial support for taxpayers with approved (by the feds) medical conditions or mental functions necessary for everyday life. This is the Disability Tax Credit Certificate and has to be completed by the taxpayer and a medical practitioner (often a family doctor, who'll charge a fee).

The good bit about this DTCC is that the federal government will pay retroactively, based on the medical practitioner's diagnosis duration.

Through Statistics Canada there is something called the Low-Income-Cut-off, sometimes called the poverty line. For a city the population of Penticton, the 2016 LICO is calculated at $21,354.00 (before tax) for one person.

This calculation puts me below the LICO and even further down after calculating taxable income, even with my GIS. I can barely imagine what it's like for those trying to eke out a living, when they don't know of their rights to governments' financial supports and programs.

The B.C. government has a $45 annual bus pass program for seniors who get the GIS. But, it appears as this is another "secret" program, that I hear time and time again people know nothing about.

One day, governments might learn from their practice of paying the Canada Child Benefits, which are automatically calculated when parents file their tax returns.

While the federal election of October 21, 2019, is a year after the B.C. municipal election of October 20, 2018, we know that "things in the mirror are closer than they appear" and these are important times to keep candidates and returning elected representatives accountable for established governments programs and, hopefully, improvements. Brigid Kemp Penticton