Ted Falk, Member of Parliament for Provencher, has joint-seconded Bill C-399, the Fairness for Persons with Disabilities Act, introduced by Conservative MP Tom Kmiec.
Last year, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) clamped down on access to the Disability Tax Credit (DTC).
Under Justin Trudeau, the CRA began interpreting the rules of the DTC in such a way that those suffering from diabetes and other diseases suddenly found themselves denied the tax credit, despite having received it in previous years. For example, the CRA has been denying diabetics’ applications to the DTC even when their doctors certified that they are eligible under the law.
MP Tom Kmiec, Conservative Deputy Shadow Minister for Finance, introduced Bill C-399 to close the ability of the CRA to deny the DTC to diabetics and those suffering from other impairments. Furthermore, it would reduce the threshold for the number of hours necessary for an activity to be eligible for the DTC from 14 to 10, and also include certain activities such as medical food preparation in the computation of that time.
Additionally, approval for the DTC allows access to the Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP), a program introduced by the Conservative government in 2008, which helps parents and others save for the long term financial security of eligible individuals. Because of the CRA’s clamp-down, Canadians with disabilities risk losing funds already built up in their RDSPs since the CRA no longer considers them to be disabled. Bill C-399 will also ensure Canadians with disabilities continue to have access to this key support.
“The Fairness for Persons with Disabilities Act will leave more money in the pockets of those with disabilities, helping them to cover the medical costs of managing their diseases,” said Falk. “Many constituents wrote to me with their concerns about the CRA’s clamp-down on access to the DTC, including those personally impacted. I want them to know their voice has been heard and Conservatives are taking action to correct this situation.”
“I also want to thank my colleague Tom Kmiec for leading this charge. I look forward to working with him to pass this bill,” added Falk.
Falk encourages those interested in supporting Bill C-399 to visit www.DisabilityTaxFairness.ca for more information.
