The deadline to file personal income tax returns is fast approaching.
Tax Town Account Administrator Madison Dagg said it's important to file a return by May 1 in order to avoid any interruptions in your credits.
"Such as the child tax benefit, old age security, GST, all of them. If you don't file on time, they're not going to be received," said Dagg. "Also, if you're missing slips and they're registered with the government, we can definitely look them up for you."
Dagg said the current federal workers strike, impacting around 39,000 Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) workers, really hasn't affected operations at Tax Town.
"Because we're still able to e-file returns, and refunds are still be processed and paid out," she said. "The only thing we can say is we really encourage everyone to file before the deadline on May 1."
Despite the strike, the CRA said the filing deadline has not changed and that overdue taxes are subject to penalties and interest.
Dagg said she knows there's been a lot of confusion in terms of whether the deadline has been extended or not.
"We've heard a lot of different theories people have come up with such as filing in May, filing in July, but the May 1 deadline still stands," she said.
An online petition calling for a tax deadline extension had more than 27,000 signatures as of Wednesday afternoon. Eric Saumure, the Ottawa accountant who launched the petition, believes reduced CRA staff has left Canadians without the ability to ask questions about their returns.
Dagg said filing a return doesn't really have to be a stressful process, and that with many years of experience, Tax Town professionals are there to help. She also said the team at Tax Town has been very busy this year.
"We always expect and are prepared for tax season, but without any interruptions or extensions we've had in previous years, we're definitely busier than previous years," said Dagg.
Tax Town has two locations in Sarnia, one on London Road and the other on London Line.