Tax return delays possible if CRA workers strike
Thousands of Canada Revenue Agency workers are threatening strike action, and it could cause a delay for Canadians trying to file their 2022 taxes by the May 1 deadline.
In January, the Public Service Alliance of Canada and the Union of Taxation Employees announced a strike vote.
They represent more than 35,000 workers nationwide.
The union’s most recent collective agreement expired on Oct. 31, 2021.
The workers are asking for “a fair compensation package, protections in the context of access to remote work, new protections for union jobs and new scheduling rights, including years of service protections where there is evening and weekend work.”
“It’s just been accumulating, years of frustration, so we do not need to convince them,” said Marc Briere, national president of the Union of Taxation Employees. “They are all in favour of voting for a strike.”
He explained that members feel ignored and they haven’t received a wage offer since the agreement ended.
“That, and a slap in the face, feels pretty much the same,” he said. “We’re still hoping that we’ll avoid a strike, but if people think that we’re going to just hesitate, we will not.”
The federal government can pass legislation to force employees back to work, but Briere hopes the two sides can reach an agreement before it gets to that point.
IMPACT ON TAX RETURNS
Voting on strike action, which began back in January, will end on April 7.
As that comes just weeks before the filing deadline, Canadians could experience delays in accessing CRA services.
“Hopefully it doesn’t happen because it could be a real nightmare if it does,” said Lars Jorgensen, the president of EJ Tax Service in Kitchener.
Most tax returns are automated but the strike could cause major delays for some.
“You file a tax return and it just gets processed instantly in most cases, but the call centres are a valuable tool to a lot of people,” explained Jorgensen. “If they’re not able to access that information it could really cause some major headaches.”
Jorgensen said the CRA could extend the May 1 deadline in response to prolonged strike action but his advice is to file sooner rather than later.
CLAIMING PERSONAL TAX CREDITS
Before you file your 2022 taxes, make sure you know what personal credits you qualify for.
The province is offering a Staycation Tax Credit which allows Ontarians to claim 20 per cent of eligible accommodation expenses between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2022. You can find out more about the credit, and how to claim it on your return, here.
There is also the Ontario Seniors Care at Home tax credit,which aims to help low to moderate-income seniors with their medical expenses, and the Childcare Access and Relief from Expenses (CARE) tax credit. To find out more about those and other tax tips, click here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.