Changes to Paper Filing Disempowering

Last tax season, only 7% of all Canadian tax filers filed on paper. The CRA is pushing for zero. It continues to steer the holdouts to digitized filing by adding lots of obstacles. Most recently, it is removing almost all the schedules from the tax return package it mails. This seems unfair to people who paper file because they can’t afford a computer and internet, distrust the security of online filing and those who are neither tax or computer literate. Here’s what they are up against:

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The pre-budget consultations for the 2014 Ontario budget closed on March 28 but the date of the budget has yet to be announced. However, recently leaked government documents indicate that the budget will be presented in the first week of May.

The 2014 Alberta provincial budget was tabled on March 6, 2014. This budget shows an operational surplus of $2.6 billion and the government projects an operational surplus for the following three years of its financial plan.

The 2014 Saskatchewan provincial budget was delivered on March 6. The budget was the seventh consecutive balanced budget in the province. 

The Manitoba provincial budget was tabled on March 6. Two new tax initiatives were announced.

The premier of British Columbia tabled the 2014 provincial budget on February 18. The budget contained a number of tax-related changes, not all of which were directly related to income tax.