Volunteer Nanaimo is holding in-person free income tax-filing clinics in March and April. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Ian Holmes

free tax clinic

Free mid-Island income tax filing service ramps up for another year

Feb 25, 2024 | 5:29 AM

NANAIMO — Dedicated volunteers are getting prepared to ease tax time anxiety for those requiring additional support.

Provided by Volunteer Nanaimo since the late 1990’s, people on low and fixed incomes, newcomers to Canada, and young workers new to filing their taxes will soon get the help they need.

Volunteer Nanaimo executive director Rita Innamorati said their complimentary income tax clinic runs Fridays and Saturdays in March and April.

“A lot of the government programs are based on income. If the income is not reported, if the taxes aren’t filed then the programs cease until that income tax comes in,” Innamorati told NanaimoNewsNOW.

She said seniors especially value the service, pointing to those on fixed incomes and lacking the ability or confidence to file electronically on their own.

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“We’ve had seniors who’ve come in and they’re so grateful because they’ve paid upwards of $300 for the two of them to get their taxes done. With guaranteed income supplement, they’re still barely making $20,000 a year.”

Interpreters are arranged through the Immigrant Welcome Centre to assist some clients.

In addition to tax filing, Innamorati said tax clinic volunteers also help their clients fill out necessary government forms in order to claim benefit cheques they’re entitled to.

“I would love to sit down and try to figure it out, if we do just under 3,000 returns, what does that look like for money coming into the community?”

She said they’re able to file income taxes as far back as a decade, which she said has been life-changing for some of their clients.

Volunteer Nanaimo’s income tax clinics also happen once a month from May through October.

Appointments must be arranged in advance at 250-758-7121.

In Nanaimo, two other non-profit organizations provide free tax filings by appointment: Nanaimo Disability Resource Centre on Departure Bay Rd. and Salvation Army’s Eighth St. location.

Free tax clinics taking place across the country are done in partnership with the Canada Revenue Agency’s Community Volunteer Income Tax Program (CVITP).

According to CRA data, volunteer income tax clinics in B.C. in 2022 resulted in nearly $239 million in refunds from roughly 106,000 returns filed.

Additional details on CVITP program can be found here.

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ian.holmes@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @reporterholmes