Canada's Tax Season Has Started & Trudeau Wants People Claiming Benefits To File ASAP

On February 22, Justin Trudeau took to Twitter to confirm that tax season in Canada had officially kicked off.

Ahead of what’s expected to be an “incredibly complicated” period, he urged anybody currently claiming benefits to file their taxes as soon as possible.

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Tax season starts today! Justin Trudeau

“To make sure you and your family keep getting your benefits, like your Canada Child Benefit and your Climate Action Incentive, file your taxes as soon as you can,” the prime minister explained.

He also shared a link to the Government of Canada website, which includes information about how tax time could be different this year.

It includes details about claiming the government’s work from home tax deduction, as well as information about repaying COVID-19 benefits and related taxes.

For those who received COVID-19 benefits in 2020, tax time is expected to be especially complex.

A national tax expert chatted with Narcity about how these payments could impact Canadians’ taxes and he urged people who claimed benefits like the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) to be prepared to owe the government money.

Fortunately, the Canada Revenue Agency has ramped up its operations ahead of the season and has even hired private companies to provide additional support.