Take a look at the letter below that Member of Parliament Peter Julian sent to the Minister of National Revenue. What he is supporting is Bill C-263 which failed to gain any traction with the previous conservative government.
The bill will be up for debate again, but not until the Fall of 2017.
Currently the disability tax credit for hearing loss applies to people who cannot understand a familiar voice in quiet with the use of hearing aids. This is extremely restrictive and assumes that all people with hearing loss even use hearing aids. The amendment to the bill is to allow eligibility for the tax credit to those with hearing loss who can’t understand in noise without the use of any hearing devices.
This amendment is far more inclusive and would open this tax credit up to the majority of people who have hearing loss.
So kudos to NDP house leader Peter Julian for advocating for the hard of hearing.
I am hopeful that the new government will give this bill the attention that it deserves.
Erin
—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
Dear Dr. Wright,
Thank you for your support and interest in Bill C-263, An Act to amend the Income Tax Act (hearing impairment).
Bill C-263 is a Private Member’s Bill and, like any legislative proposal by individual MPs, it is subject to a random process of selection. In the case of C-263, this bill will not be debated before the fall of 2017.
While the presence of a majority government also makes it more difficult to gain traction in Parliament, this does not diminish the importance of continuing our push for the changes proposed by C-263.
As you may know, I had previously introduced this bill in the last Parliament but the Conservative government failed to act on this matter. The delay, however, provided an opportunity to continue the grassroots
tax fairness campaign for the deaf and hard-of-hearing and to work with the community to build a stronger base of support for C-263. Hundreds of Canadians signed petitions in support of Bill C-263.
It is equally important to maintain pressure on the current Liberal government and continue our work to broaden outreach. With growing support both outside and inside Parliament, I believe that Bill C-263
will finally be recognized as a blueprint for the positive changes in regulation that are necessary to ensure that deaf and hard-of-hearing Canadians are treated fairly by our tax system.
I have written a letter to the Minister of National Revenue (attached), asking her to give this matter the priority it deserves, and I have assured her of the full cooperation of my NDP colleagues.
As for your question regarding who qualifies, the bill would remove the requirement that the person must be wearing an “assisted listening device” when they are being assessed.
Let us continue our good work together to fix the flaws in the tax treatment of the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing community.
Thank you again for writing to me.
Best regards,
Peter Julian, MP
New Westminster-Burnaby
NDP House Leader
New Democratic Party | Nouveau Parti démocratique
———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
