For the past 40 years, Carmen Girard has been volunteering her time in Iroquois Falls, doing simple personal income tax returns for free. She’s been part of a group that does it for about 25 years… and has been co-ordinator of the Iroquois Falls Community Volunteer Income Tax Program for 15 years. Girard leads seven other volunteers.
“It’s free to anyone whose income is up to $30,000 for single person,” she says, “ up to $40,000 for a couple.
That donation pays for computers, printers, stationary and other associated costs.
“The government supplies the software and there is no help from anyone else,” Girard notes.
The Iroquois Falls CVITP group group gets free use of an office at the Service Ontario building on Ambridge Drive from mid-February to the end of April. A clinic is held every Tuesday and Thursday, between 10:00am and noon.
“It’s a sit and wait for your turn and drop your papers off and then you pick up a week or two later, depending on how busy we are.”
Click here for the federal government website that outlines how the CVITP works.