The Minister of Finance has recently stated that low- to moderate-income people receiving provincial tax credits are going to be given a choice in how they receive these credits – either in monthly cheques or in a lump sum.
A Star article from last Friday quotes the Minister as saying: “We’re looking at ways of allowing people to choose. There are some administrative issues, but it seems perfectly reasonable to me.”
And in a CTV “consumer watchdog” interview conducted with the Minister earlier this week, he says the government acknowledges that they “dropped the ball” on this issue by not properly communicating the change to quarterly and monthly payments. He confirms that they are going to let people choose whether to receive their tax credits in one lump sum cheque or in monthly instalments.
However, the Minister is very clear that the change to a system that lets people choose “won’t happen this year”.
We have been in touch with contacts in the Ministry of Finance asking that they provide clear information on the administrative details of this policy change, so that we can help people understand how best to proceed. As soon as we have further information, we will share it with you.
In the meantime, previous ISAC materials on this issue may be of help to you and people you work with. Two information sheets – one on the change to monthly delivery and another on the related issue of the negative implications of using tax preparation companies to file tax returns – are available on our website.
Please distribute this information to community contacts – both low-income folks that you work with and other community-based organizations.