Taxpayer Relief Available for Victims and Relief Workers

Around the world communities are grappling with record-setting natural disasters. The recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan, flooding in the North American mid-west and killer storms in the U.S. are recent examples. It is hard to imagine the disruption to daily routines endured by those who survived the devastation. Once the basics of survival are taken care of, how do victims of these events begin to deal with mundane tasks such as income tax filing?

In Canada, there are Taxpayer Relief Provisions available to taxpayers affected by natural disasters. On April 28^th, CRA announced that those who have been directly impacted by spring flooding or natural disasters outside of Canada, and those who are participating in relief efforts, may apply for taxpayer relief if they are unable to fulfill their income tax obligations by the May 2, 2011 deadline. Those who may have other deadlines, such as business owners and the self-employed, are included as well.