CRA makes life more difficult for people with disabilities

July 3, 2018

Andre Picard questions whether “anonymous accountants in the Canada Revenue Agency” should be responsible for shaping social policies for Canadians with disabilities and argues “why it’s essential that eligibility for the DTC be determined in a manner that is simple, fair, consistent and transparent.”

In his Opinion piece, the health columnist for The Globe and Mail reviews some of the concerns outlined in Breaking Down Barriers, the report issued by the Senate Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology:

• When medical professionals provide a diagnosis – based on  rigid criteria, no less – pencil-pushers in the CRA have no business second-guessing a medical decision unless there is evidence of fraud.
• Those with developmental and psychiatric disabilities face much higher rejection rates when applying for the DTC; people with invisible chronic conditions such as type 1 diabetes and autism have been cut off unjustly and with little explanation.

Picard analyses some of the major problems with the administration of the Disability Tax Credit, which is a requirement to participate in the Registered Disability Savings Plan created by the late Finance Minister Jim Flaherty in 2006. This innovative program has allowed more than 123,000 Canadians save for future financial needs with both private and government contributions. However, they are at risk to lose all of the government contributions (for the previous 10 years) if they are asked to reapply and subsequently denied the DTC.

Picard notes in his conclusion that “the tax system is not the ideal way to get there, but as long as we are depending on credits, grants and savings plans, they should at least be providing much needed benefits, not creating more barriers.”

TAGS - DTC, CRA

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