|
Ottawa
- The National
Union of Public and General Employees says it's shameful
of the federal government to be cutting back on a tax credit of
less than $1,000 a year for Canadians with disabilities when it
is projecting surpluses of $71 billion over the next six years.
"We are
outraged that the federal government would even consider such a
move," says National Union president James Clancy.
"Yet that
is exactly what is happening. The Department of Finance has instructed
the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (CCRA) to conduct an arbitrary
review of eligibility for the federal disability tax credit (DTC).
"This affects
more than 100,000 Canadians with disabilities, forcing them to endure
a lengthy and costly process in order to re-qualify for the DTC.
We view the CCRA’s attempt to haul back this very small tax
credit, and the little support it provides for people who are among
the most vulnerable in our society, as a very unfair and punitive
measure," Clancy said.
CLC
vice-president denounces move
Derek Fudge,
national director of policy development for NUPGE and also the Canadian
Labour Congress vice-president for people with disabilities, joined
Clancy in denouncing the move.
"To make
matters worse, the finance department is proposing changes to the
Income Tax Act that will deny even more people with disabilities
from qualifying for the DTC," Fudge said.
"People
with disabilities already experience much higher rates of poverty
than the rest of the Canadian population - in fact, one of three
disabled Canadians lives in poverty. These restrictive measures
have nothing to do with recognizing the barriers and extra costs
associated with an individual’s disability; it’s all about
denying Canadians with disabilities access to one of the very few
federal government support mechanisms that exist to help them fully
participate in Canadian society."
At stake is
a maximum annual tax credit of $960. It costs Ottawa less than $360
million a year - or about half of 1% of $71 billion in federal surpluses
projected to accumulate over the next six years.
Deliberate
harassment
"When these
massive surpluses are taken into account, along with an estimated
$40 billion in tax cuts that Ottawa has implemented over the last
three years, the cutting of this tax credit can only be considered
a conscious and appalling decision by the federal government to
deliberately target and harass people with disabilities," Fudge
said.
The federal
New Democratic Party has launched a national letter writing campaign
to save the DTC and stop the attack on Canadians with disabilities.
NDP Leader Alexa
McDonough released letters this week that will be sent to Prime
Minister Jean Chretien calling for the full restoration of the DTC.
Ordinary Canadians are being urged to speak out by mailing letters
of their own to the prime minister.
A sample letter
can be found at the following link on the federal NDP web site:
Printable
Letter
http://www.ndp.ca/printforms/disabilityletter.html
Text
of sample letter:
Right
Honourable Jean Chrétien,
Prime Minister of Canada
Room 309 S
Centre Block
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A6
Care of: Alexa
McDonough, MP
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6
Dear Prime Minister;
Today, I join with thousands of other Canadians in expressing my
opposition to your government’s unfair and punitive measures
which disallow persons with disabilities the Disability Tax Credit.
(DTC)
Last year, your
government’s Revenue Agency demanded over 100,000 Canadians
re-apply for the DTC which gives Canadians with disabilities some
measure of relief from the additional costs incurred from living
with a disability. For tens of thousands of Canadians, the cost
and difficulty of getting the complex forms properly filled out
proved too much and they have lost this tax credit.
To make matters
worse, your Finance Minister has proposed changes to the Income
Tax Act that will disallow even more people this tax credit. The
impacts of these measures are already causing enormous financial
hardship for this group of vulnerable Canadians.
One third of
Canadians with severe disabilities live in poverty, and at least
40% of Canadians with disabilities are unemployed. Many of the five
million Canadians living with disabilities live without economic
security due to inadequate income support and rehabilitation programs.
Many are not eligible for the DTC because they have no taxable income.
Canadians with
disabilities deserve respect and equal citizenship from their government
- not harassing bureaucracies and punitive legislation. The Courts,
Parliament and disability advocacy groups are all asking for your
government to take a more humane and compassionate approach to the
definition of disability under the Income Tax Act.
Please withdraw
the proposed amendments to the Disability Tax Credit and act on
the unanimous recommendations of the House of Commons Committee
calling for fairness and effective consultation before any changes
to the Income Tax Act are made regarding Canadians with disabilities.
I look forward
to your response.
Name__________________________________
Address________________________________
_______________________________________
Phone _________________________________
Go To Top
Back
to DAWN Ontario homepage
This
page was updated in Nov. 3, 2002
|
