Taxpayer relief measures available to residents of Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo affected by Flooding

Kamloops, BC, August 3rd, 2012 – Cathy McLeod, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Revenue and Member of Parliament for Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo, today highlighted that those affected by flooding can apply for relief from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) if they are having difficulty meeting their tax obligations because of extreme weather events.

“Severe weather conditions can prevent Canadians from meeting their tax obligations” said McLeod. “Recently, Canadians from several regions, including ours, have had to rebuild because of severe weather events; our taxpayer relief provisions ensure that all Canadians receive fair tax treatment, while they are recovering from the damage resulting from flooding.”

All Canadians have access to the CRA’s taxpayer relief measures and will be considered for relief if they miss a payment or filing deadline because their lives were disrupted by uncontrollable weather events, including forest fires caused by lightning strikes, tornadoes, flooding, landslides and hurricanes.

“It is during these tough times that the CRA’s taxpayer relief provisions prove their value by ensuring that Canadians are not further penalized when they are unable to make payments on time because of abnormal weather conditions” McLeod added.

The taxpayer relief provisions use a balanced approach to help taxpayers to resolve tax issues that arise through no fault of their own. Under these provisions, any taxpayer can apply to the CRA to have interest and/or penalties waived or cancelled in situations where they are unable to file a tax return and/or make a payment on time due to a natural disaster or other extraordinary circumstances beyond their control. Taxpayers must submit their request in writing using form RC4288, Request for Taxpayer Relief. The CRA will consider these requests on a case-by-case basis.

Affected taxpayers who have questions or concerns about the CRA’s taxpayer relief provisions can access additional information on the CRA website at www.cra.gc.ca/taxpayerrelief or they can call the CRA at 1-800-959-8281. Business owners and self‑employed individuals can call the CRA at 1‑800‑959‑5525.