Canada Revenue Agency denies Disability Tax Credit to eligible Canadians with disabilities

VICTORIA, British Columbia - May 20, 2016 - PRLog -- The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) continues to make it increasingly difficult for Canadians with disabilities to access a modest tax credit that means a great deal to people with marginal incomes.

The CRA has abdicated its mandate for fairness by denying the Disability Tax Credit (DTC) to eligible Canadians with disabilities.  The tax system is too complicated or expensive for most people to appeal the CRA's decisions.

"It has become virtually impossible for the majority of people living with severe psychiatric illnesses to access the DTC without appealing to the Tax Court of Canada," says Lembi Buchanan, President of Communication Resources who has successfully represented dozens of individuals navigate the appeal process. "CRA civil servants with insufficient medical and legal training are sending rejection notices without providing valid reasons for their decisions. Canadian taxpayers should be able to access the DTC without having to pay expensive legal bills for lawyers to represent them in court or excessive contingency fees to companies to act on their behalf."

In addition to a modest return on taxes, the DTC has become the screening tool for a growing number of federal and provincial income support programs including the Registered Disability Savings Plan and the Canada Child Disability Benefit.