TORONTO -- With the income tax deadline just days away, taxpayers, accountants and politicians are calling on the federal government to delay the date because of renewed pandemic shutdowns.
Earlier this month, the Conservatives pushed the Liberals to give until the end of June for Canadians to file their taxes, while Quebec announced it would extend the provincial tax deadline until the end of May. In 2020, during the first COVID-19 wave, Canada Revenue Agency pushed the 2019 income tax deadline to June 1.
鈥淲e are busting our tails to get everything done, but just relieve us of the penalties. Quebec did it,鈥 Tiffany Stewart, a chartered professional accountant, told 麻豆影视.
She said that some Canadians didn鈥檛 know they would have to pay taxes on the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) and that some people can鈥檛 afford to pay them, let alone a penalty on filing late.
鈥淪ome of them are struggling not just financially but emotionally," she added.
For those who earned $75,000 or less and accessed COVID-19 benefits, the CRA won鈥檛 charge interest on tax amounts owing until 2022.
But, if they miss the April 30 deadline, taxpayers will be hit with a 5 per cent penalty on the balance owing and an additional 1 per cent each month after.
This tax season has an added challenge for nearly one million Canadians who were locked out of their CRA accounts due to concerns about cybersecurity breaches.
Some weren鈥檛 notified that they had been locked out and only found out when they tried to log in to file their taxes, leading to more calls to accountants and tax professionals, said Stewart.
鈥淲e can get access much easier than they can get,鈥 she said.
Some clients don鈥檛 have access to a reliable internet connection or a computer, making things even more difficult and requiring them to deliver documents to accountants in person.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e not able to get the documents to us in a technical manner...So then we鈥檙e asking them to go against stay-at-home orders,鈥 she said.
And wait times to speak with someone at the CRA can be up to four hours.
鈥淚t鈥檚 absolutely unbelievable,鈥 said Stewart.
And her clients are worried they won鈥檛 be able to receive pandemic-related benefits if they don鈥檛 get their taxes filed on time.
鈥淐lients are absolutely panicking,鈥 she said.
Not to mention that this year鈥檚 income tax form is more complicated than previous forms, with additional boxes for specific periods throughout the pandemic.
鈥淲e have a more complex income tax form and we are simply not having the resources available so that people can get their questions answered,鈥 NDP finance critic Peter Julian told 麻豆影视 in a video interview.
Agencies and non-profit organizations are also struggling to get through to someone at the CRA.
鈥淭hey simply haven鈥檛 put the resources into CRA, people are not able to get through at all,鈥 said Julian.
Canadians are struggling through the third wave of the pandemic as record COVID-19 infection numbers grip many provinces across the country.
鈥淪o many Canadians are struggling. There needs to be flexibility when it comes to CRA and deadlines,鈥 said Julian.
Stewart said that the CRA should create a dedicated line for tax professionals who have more complicated and in-depth questions than the average citizen, but that delaying the deadline should be a priority.
鈥淛ust relieve us from penalty. Relieve us from penalty. Waive the penalties, give us until May 31,鈥 she said.
Otherwise, she said, it will just create more work for CRA employees as accountants and tax professionals file incomplete returns and follow up with adjustments.
The CRA says there's an important reason for Canadians to file on time -- to prove they're still eligible for future pandemic-relief benefits.
In a post on its 鈥溾 page, the CRA acknowledges the challenges that some Canadians may face meeting their filing obligations this year, but points out that it needs 2020 tax information to determine eligibility for the Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB), the Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefit (CRCB) or the Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit (CRSB).
With a file from CTVNews.ca's Cameron French
