By Ruby Pratka

Local Journalism Initiative

Tax time has arrived, and around the region, volunteer action centres (known as Centres d’action bénévole or CABs) are offering free bilingual tax preparation services for low-income taxpayers.

The clinics are coordinated through a long-established federal government program called the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program (CVITP). CVITP clinics offered by CABs are open to any individual taxpayer with a simple tax situation and an annual income of $35,000 or less; the threshold increases to $45,000 for a couple and goes up by an additional $2,500 for each dependent child listed on a return, explained Marie-Christine Laguë, community liaison agent at the CAB de Farnham, which has administered the program for many years. Self-employed people and those who are filing after a bankruptcy or filing on behalf of a deceased person are not eligible. Most clinics do accept people who have fallen a few years behind on their tax returns.

The CAB de Farnham provides services in Farnham, Sainte-Sabine, Sainte-Brigide and surrounding areas. The CAB de Bedford can help residents of Bedford, Philipsburg, Pike River, Stanbridge East, Stanbridge Station, Notre-Dame-de-Stanbridge and Stanbridge Station who have declared income of $25,000 or less ($32,000 or less for a couple filing jointly). People who use the service are asked to pay $10 to cover printing costs. The CAB de Cowansville can help residents of Cowansville, Frelighsburg, Brome Lake, Sutton and surrounding areas, and the CAB des 4 Vents in Waterloo offers services there. The CAB Haut-Saint-François in Cookshire, the CAB Magog and the CAB Rediker in Stanstead offer tax assistance to residents of those regions. Some centres, including the CAB Farnham, offer at-home service to people with mobility issues.

“We work with people who are employed, who are on social assistance or who receive a pension,” said Rosalie Beaudoin-Martin, service co-ordinator at the CAB des 4 Vents. “The program has remained the same for the last 37 or 38 years, and people are really grateful to have access to it.”

Those who want to file their taxes through the CVITP are encouraged to call their local CAB. Some centres have a walk-in system, others have a locked drop box where people can place their documents and others require appointments to drop off documents. Trained volunteers, many of whom are retired accountants or math teachers, review the documents, complete the participant’s federal and provincial tax returns online and call the participant back to sign a release and pick up their original documents.

At the CAB Cowansville, people can drop off their documents during business hours from Monday to Thursday. The service is even offered year-round. “Most people come during tax season, but there are always some who are late or who have fallen behind,” said CAB Cowansville interim director Sara Martinez.

“It’s important for us to offer services in French or English. We know it’s hard for unilingual anglophones, but we do a lot of recruitment of anglophone and bilingual volunteers to keep serving people on our territory,” she added.

To connect with a tax clinic in your area, visit the Canada Revenue Agency website (canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/individuals/community-volunteer-income-tax-program.html) or call your local CAB. The deadline to file your tax returns without late fees or interest is Tuesday, April 30.