Canada, like many countries, has a taxation system which exists to collect money from individuals and institutions. The money gained will be transferred to services and I can say that this process is the main difference between Canada many of the countries newcomers come from. Since we were paying taxes in our countries without any beneficial returns or services, we had a wrong idea in our minds about this system so we ignored paying taxes. However, when I came to Canada and my family became officially committed to paying taxes, I recognized the importance of this system. Taxes should be collected to support government programs, services such as roads, health care, schools, and cultural activities. The good use of taxes will give a convincing reason to people about why they have to pay taxes. For instance, I pay taxes to maintain my income since I am a student and I am not working. Also, I pay taxes because I need to find high quality hospitals, schools and universities, and of course because that will develop the economy of our country. All these and many other reasons inspire us to pay taxes without hesitation.
Taxes in Canada cover income and sales, which means the goods you purchase from stores and malls except the basic food sales which are free of taxes. For us, as immigrants or refugees, we need to know how to deal with these responsibilities legally. For that reason Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) sets up its own website in a very advantageous way to help new settlers like me and my family in how to find our way through this system. The website address is http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/newcomers/.
Now, how did my family and I file our first tax return, which is something totally new for us?! As we are newcomers and we have income, my father hired an accountant to help him to avoid any mistakes. However, there are also many free tax clinics in Hamilton run by volunteers, you can check the website below: https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/individuals/community-volunteer-income-tax-program.html
The accountant helped us to sign up on the CRA website and create our account to check our taxes and pay them quickly. It's an easy way to register for online mail or in case we need to change our address. We could even check what benefits and credits we might be eligible for. Then we filled in the information, which includes the name as stated in SIN documentation, the date of birth and SIN number, as well as the current address with the postal code. As newcomers we must also enter the date we became residents of Canada. Then we received our CRA confirmation number.
You need to know that even if you are a newcomer and you don't live here for all the year, you may have to file a return if you owe tax or you want to claim a refund. You only have to file a return if you have an income, but you may get a refund even if you do not have an income, so you ought to use the general income tax and benefit package for the province you settle in.
All this information is explained explicitly on the CRA website, where you can get the return online or you can use the online order form to have a printed copy mailed to you and for sure you can have it in person at postal outlets or from the service offices between February and early May.
Now you have a general idea about your first tax return which is a crucial part of the Canadian economy. Remember, you are not paying taxes to the government's pocket but you are paying them to maintain your future services in this country.
By Noor Mahmod
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Noor Mahmod is a graduate of the Faculty of Law at the University of Damascus. She volunteers at the YWCA of Hamilton. She is currently a student in the Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada program at Mohawk College. She plans to study in the Paralegal program at Mohawk in the future. Her long-term goal is to do a master’s degree in international law. |
