Marilène Gill, Bloc Québécois MP on the North Shore (Courtesy photo)
MP Marilène Gill says that the North Shore is penalized by the Canada Revenue Agency because of its remoteness. Agents are not trained to respond to specific tax deductions, including the remote travel deduction.
“The federal government does not understand our reality and the North Coast residents are suffering,” denounces Marilène Gill. “When North Shore citizens manage to contact the CRA – after an often inordinate waiting time – the agents, despite being well-intentioned, do not have specific knowledge of the tax deductions to which North Shore residents are entitled. have the right,” adds the MP.
She fears that taxpayers on the North Shore will not have access to amounts owed to them. The remote travel deduction is a glaring example. The Bloc Québécois MP recalls that the federal government offers a tax deduction to help citizens who have to leave their village by plane to obtain medical care.
An imposed destination
“However, instead of calculating the deduction on the entire price of the plane ticket, the ARC introduced the concept of the closest designated city. In doing so, when this corresponds to the cheapest alternative, the ARC calculates the deduction based on a hypothetical trip to this city, which does not correspond to any concrete, or even geographical, reality,” explains Marilène Gill.
The designated city of a person departing from the Blanc-Sablon airport is St. John, Newfoundland and Labrador, which is absolutely absurd. The concept of the closest designated city therefore only serves to save the federal government at the expense of taxpayers and without regard to the very geographical borders of Quebec, mentions Marilène Gill.
She asks that the calculation of deduction for travel by residents of remote regions be done according to the actual trip taken.