Are you having trouble filing your income taxes, or think you don't need to file them? If so, a local program could help land you some cash.
The United Way of Sarnia-Lambton Venture Grant Fund recently announced $28,000 to The Inn of the Good Shepherd's tax clinic program.
The initiative has been assisting lower-income residents complete and e-file their annual income tax returns for the past eight years.
United Way Executive Director Dave Brown said the 2017 tax year program generated over $10.4 million in income for the roughly 2,900 returns filed-- an average of $3,300 per household.
"For a lot of people to be eligible for GST credits and other tax credits, it's important for everybody to fill out their tax returns. Not everyone can afford it right away, or not everyone knows how, so the Inn of the Good Shepherd is there to help those folks out," said Brown. "Even the GST credit they get alone might be the difference between needing the food bank and not, or being evicted or not. And not to mention, if a household receives Government Benefits, they could be cut off from those benefits if they don't get those taxes returned."
Brown said the program has benefited a variety of households, including those dealing with fixed incomes, residents living on pensions or social assistance and the under-employed.
The Inn is projecting they'll complete around 3,100 returns in 2019 and generate $10.8 million in income and benefits.
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