The Bruce Grey Poverty Task Force is looking for people for the next Community Volunteer Income Tax Program.
Task Force Co-ordinator Jill Umbach says ahead of the next tax season, they are seeking volunteers across the region to support the annual tax clinic. Those who take part will undergo training for the program run by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).
“It takes a bit of time to register and get through the screening process with CRA, so we start recruitment now and we get people registered and then we at the Poverty Task Force and the United Way are matching people with the various locations that need extra volunteers,” says Umbach.
The program provides free tax filing support to low-income people, seniors, those with disabilities, newcomers, and others facing barriers to filing their taxes.
During the previous tax season, the program helped 3,910 people in the region file 4,410 tax returns, resulting in over $13.6 million in refunds and benefits coming back to local households.
“Filing your taxes these days is one of the biggest ways to get supports from the government and so we feel that this is a critical program. It does rely on volunteers working with various organizations and it’s critical that people that have not filed taxes get them done and then get the benefits that they are eligible for,” says Umbach.
No experience is needed to volunteer for the program and more details can be found online here.