Who We Are

Haven’t filed your taxes for numerous years?

Don’t worry, we can help!

Tax AID Program Has Expanded to Support More People Across the Province

Since 2015, advocates with Tax AID DABC have been providing free support to people receiving Persons with Disabilities (PWD) and Persons with Persistent Multiple Barriers to Employment (PPMB) benefits to file their taxes. This work has helped hundreds of people on disability benefits from around the province to access additional income and benefits. The benefits of income tax filing are not insubstantial and even people living on low or modest incomes generally receive $400-$500 each year they file their taxes from benefits like the GST Credit, BC Sales Tax Credit, and BC Climate Action Tax Credit. In total, the Tax AID program has helped recover more than $1.5 million over the three year lifetime of the program.

In 2018, DABC’s Tax AID program has expanded to three other organizations across BC. The Together Against Poverty Society (TAPS) provides services through the Tax AID TAPS on Vancouver Island; the Ki-Low-Na Friendship Society provides services through Tax AID Ki-Low-Na in the Interior; and the Active Support Against Poverty Society (ASAP) will provide services in the North through Tax AID ASAP. Disability Alliance BC continues to provide services as Tax AID DABC in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley. In addition to providing direct income tax filing services, Tax AID advocates are also available to hold workshops and community information sessions about income tax filing in communities around BC.

Thanks to these new partnerships, Tax AID will have a significantly greater provincial reach and will be able to provide a more effective service in communities around BC. A particular focus of our program continues to be helping people receiving disability benefits to get caught up on multiple years of unfiled income taxes. For these people, the benefits of the Tax AID program are often greatest as they generally qualify to receive money for each year they have not filed. As many of our clients live on incomes between $750 and $1,500 per month, receiving a few thousand dollars in back taxes can have a significant impact on their overall financial wellness.

The expanded Tax AID program was announced by the Hon. Shane Simpson, Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction at a press conference hosted at the DABC office in May 2018.

For questions about the Tax AID program please email taxaid@disabilityalliancebc.org.

Please help us spread the word about Tax AID DABC using the hashtag #TaxAidDABC on social media! 

Our sincere thanks to the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction for funding this program expansion

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And thank you to the Vancouver Foundation for the initial funding for Tax AID DABC

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Disability Alliance BC

For over 40 years, Disability Alliance BC (formerly BC Coalition of People with Disabilities) has been a provincial, cross-disability voice in British Columbia. Our mission is to support people with all disabilities, to live with dignity, independence and as equal and full participants in the community. We champion issues impacting the lives of people with disabilities through our direct services, community partnerships, advocacy, workshops, research and publications.

Each year we help hundreds of people with disabilities living on low incomes to access disability benefits (provincial and federal), mobility devices, special diet allowances and other health supplements. All our services are provided free of charge.

Shawn

Shawn received help from Tax AID to get caught up on multiple years of income tax filing during the first year of the Tax AID program. He used the initial money from his tax return to buy a truck, which helped him move out of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside to better housing. In subsequent years he has come back to Tax AID for assistance keeping up to date on his income taxes. He reports that he has been doing very well since getting help from the Tax AID program and that the supports he received through Tax AID were instrumental in helping him achieve more stability.

Freya

Freya sustained a traumatic brain injury and is managing diabetes. She is also a single parent to an energetic toddler. Freya had not filed her taxes since her child was born, so she was not benefitting from the Canada Child Benefit and other tax benefits. Tax Aid staff filed two years of taxes for Freya and she and her child are expecting over $16,200.00 in tax benefits.

Jonny

Jonny is a young man whose disability affects his memory and cognition. As a young man in his 20’s, he is very reliant on his family members for financial support. He needed to file several years of taxes to prove that he met the income requirements for disability support programs and resources. Tax Aid staff prepared and filed three years of taxes for him. In addition to being able to prove financial eligibility for programs that will increase his independence, Jonny received $3,100.00 in tax-related benefits.

Testmonials

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