Accountants offer help to citizens filing taxes

By Darnell Dobson

Professional accountants are once again volunteering their services this tax season to those in Centretown who need it most.

Tax clinics are being hosted by community organizations through the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program. Accountants are available to help file tax returns for those who have a modest income and simple tax situation.

A modest income is defined by the Canada Revenue Agency as  a total family income of no more than $40,000.

A clinic took place on March 11 at Montgomery Legion on Kent Street and was hosted by the Charted Professional Accountants of Ontario and Ottawa Centre MPP Yasir Naqvi.

CPA representative Perry Jensen applauded the initiative and its impact on the community.

“The clinics are great and they are for all different sorts of people,” he said.

“We get people that may have come from a different country, we get seniors, we go to homeless shelters, that sort of thing.”

He added that people with low incomes should make a point of filing their taxes because they “usually get something back.”

The clinics allow people to get their taxes done by professionals, and the CPA members are able to give back to the community.

“People with low income generally don’t have complicated taxes, and they benefit far more from filing their taxes than the average person.” Jensen said.

“A lot of people don’t realize that. And by doing this, they (CPA members) get to feel good about themselves. They get to help the community.”

Gerry Salapang from Fil-Can Ottawa Community Tax Services said that the volunteer clinics are important to people with low income who can’t afford to pay the charges of “commercial tax declarers.”

He also said the bonus of community clinics like the one the CPA hosted is that they are open to everyone.

The CPA is one of many associations that send volunteers into communities to help people file their taxes.

This is the 48th year that the association has been involved.

According to Jensen, the decision about whether to hire a professional accountant to file your taxes largely depends on the complexity of your situation.

“If you’ve got real estate or a business, multiple sources of income, that’s when an accountant really pays off for you, whereas if it’s really simple, you can probably do it yourself,” said Jensen.

He also said there are many inexpensive or even free tax filing software programs available online.

As for volunteers, Jensen said 2,213 members from his organization filed approximately 24,500 tax returns last year, and although he expects the number to be in the same range as it was last year, Jensen said it’s difficult to predict how many of the CPA’s members will participate.  This is the busiest time of the year for many chartered professional accountants.

If you missed the clinic in Centretown, Fil-can Ottawa Community Tax Service will be hosting two free, walk-in clinics on March 18 and April 1 at 474 Parkdale Ave. from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

To find other clinics taking place across the city, including Centretown, visit the Canada Revenue Agency.