The Coordinator of the Grey Bruce Poverty Task Force anticipates an increased need for this year’s Community Volunteer Income Tax Program (CVITP).
Jill Umbach expects the need for the program to grow for the upcoming tax season after the organization released a report this week detailing how the program last year was able to save people in the region a combined $3.27 million.
The CVITP is a Canada Revenue Agency offered service which provides free tax preparation through community partnerships and trained volunteers.
The report included a case study from three community organizations in Grey Bruce that offered the service last year. The case study found across nine municipalities in Grey Bruce between March and June, 893 people were helped, 966 returns were filed, and over $3.27 million came back in refunds and benefits.
She says for some, the total $3.27 million is an increase in return seen over previous years.
“I would say definitely all three organizations that we feature in the case study saw a significant increase,” says Umbach.
She adds every year they are looking at ways to reach people and let them know the program exists.
“I also know that we are probably only hitting about 10 to 15 per cent of the actual population that is eligible for the service. We know from previous information from CRA that there was close to, I think it was around 35,000 people that were eligible for the program and we know that we are not close to even touching that,” says Umbach. “We do spend a lot of time trying to support people that are street involved where we have issues like having the right I.D. to then file your taxes or working with people that haven’t filed in many years.”
Eligibility to use the program varies depending on how many people are in the household and individual circumstances. Typically, the program serves people with a modest income and a simple tax situation.
“That is typically people who are receiving social assistance, seniors, newcomers to Canada, students, and Indigenous people. For one person it can be up to $30,000, but then if you have more than five people in a household, it is up to $47,500 plus $2,500 for every additional person,” says Umbach.
She says last year there was a delay in registering volunteers for the program through the CRA, but this year there is a listing for the region where they are trying to recruit volunteers.
More details on how to access the program or volunteer can be found by dialling 2-1-1.