A local woman has had a $19,500 burden lifted off her shoulders.

On Saturday, the Times & Transcript shared the story of a local woman
we called Mary. Her real name and the names of her three children are
protected by a publication ban.
Mary suffered years of sexual and physical abuse at the hands of her
partner. The man also assaulted her children. In February he was
sentenced to four years in prison for sexual assault, assault with a
weapon and two indictable accounts of assault.

It seemed a new beginning for Mary and her children, but in March the
Canada Revenue Agency told her it was reassessing her tax returns for
2008, 2009 and 2010.

Mary had filed as single, but the man had been living with her during
those years, which meant she should have filed common-law.

She was quick to admit she was wrong and told CRA to go ahead with the
reassessment, knowing it wouldn't make a difference anyway as their
combined income was so low.

But CRA came back with a bill for more than $19,500, money it said she
owed because she was overpaid the child tax benefit.

Mary had no idea how CRA came up with this figure. Her ex hadn't filed
taxes for at least five years, so she didn't know what figure CRA was
using as his income and they wouldn't tell her, citing privacy laws.

Nor could they compel her abuser to file his taxes so she could prove
their income really was low enough to entitle her to the full child
tax benefit.

CRA seized her 2010 tax refund and her child tax benefit. For five
months she and her three children lived on her salary of about $1,100
a month.

For eight months she appealed to everyone she could think of for help
and the best she could do was to negotiate with the government to
receive half her child tax benefit. In eight months, she repaid nearly
$9,000, but still owed more than $10,000.

As a last resort, she told her story to the Times & Transcript. When a
reporter contacted the CRA they offered to put Mary in touch with
someone from their problem resolution program.

On Monday afternoon Mary's phone rang.

"The lady from the CRA said that the balance that I owe is zero," Mary
says.

Not only that, but when her next child tax benefit cheque is deposited
in her account on Nov. 18, it will also include all of the money she
has already paid toward the balance.

"I just was shocked," she says. "I was absolutely stunned. I wasn't
expecting her to say this has been resolved and you owe zero."

Mary says she also received a call from Moncton-Riverview-Dieppe MP
Robert Goguen on Monday night. Goguen had also been working on her
behalf and had helped her work out the deal to receive half her child
tax benefit.

"He said, 'I hear everything is resolved,' and said that was good and
that he was sorry for what I went through," she says.

After the hours and hours and hours she spent talking to countless
people about her situation, she couldn't believe how quickly the whole
ordeal came to an end.

"I find it quite amazing that it took them 24 hours to resolve it,"
she says. "It is almost surreal. I just went through eight months of
hell and they could resolve it in 24 hours. I'm kind of (angry), but
relieved. I'm thinking, 'Oh my god, I can buy food. Plus Christmas is
coming, so that is a relief too."

Mary says she'll be able to get her children the things they need that
she just hasn't been able to buy, like new clothes and a bed for one
of them.

"It is such a weight lifted off of me," she says. "I can breathe."

The situation isn't entirely resolved.

Mary says the amount of money the woman from the CRA told her they
would be depositing isn't the full amount she has paid in, however,
when she explained that to her, the woman said she would look into it
and get back to her this week.

Mary also doesn't know if the situation is settled for good or if
there is a possibility the case will be reopened when and if her ex
files his taxes. She was so stunned when the call came that she didn't
think of that until after she hung up the phone.

She still doesn't know if her ex has filed his taxes or not and the
CRA said they can't tell her that.

While Mary's problem seems to be largely resolved, she is just one
person.

The system that caused her months of grief is no different today than
it was last week. There is still no help for anyone in a situation
like hers.

Ginette Petitpas-Taylor, victim services co-ordinator for Codiac RCMP,
says in New Brunswick there is no access to legal advice or aid in
situations like this.

"There is no access to poverty law services, meaning any type of civil
action that needs to be taken," she says. "Legal aid budgets have been
cut over the years and as a result these individuals end up having to
pay the price. They are not having the proper representation they need
and proper advice as to what next steps they need to take.

"Too many women fall between the cracks and it is just not fair.
Everyone should have access to these services."

Petitpas-Taylor says tax issues is only one area where people need
help. Disputes with a landlord, custody cases and child support are
other problems where no help is available.
She says abusers often use the letter of the law to their full
advantage to continue abusing their victims long after they have
physically left.

Sometimes it involves property or banks accounts. If one person
refuses to sign to sell a home, for example, there is not much the
other person can do apart from take them to court. If you don't have
money for a lawyer, that is a problematic solution.

"Ideally if we could have legal clinics in our community, it could
definitely help them," she says.

Petitpas-Taylor says there are some lawyers in the Moncton area who
donate their time to meet with people dealing with custody matters,
but there is nothing for cases like Mary's.
"Even if you look at things like being denied EI premiums or
compensation if you've been injured at work and the list goes on and
on," she says. "If you don't have a way to challenge these decisions,
you will be left with nothing."

Petitpas-Taylor says in domestic violence situations in particular,
women are often so overwhelmed just trying to take care of their needs
and those of their children that they don't have the energy to try to
navigate through the complexities of the system on their own.

She says it's great that Mary's situation has been resolved, "but why
does it have to take a story in the paper for this to be resolved?"
she says.

"More education needs to be done on the realities of domestic
violence. We all have a role to play."

Petitpas-Taylor says we should be looking for ways we can help, rather
than for reasons we can't.

"Let's take the obstacles out of the way for survivors. You never know
what is going to be that last drop in the bucket," Petitpas-Taylor
says.

"We need to be sensitive to the needs of the individuals we work with.
How can we make it easier for victims rather than put more obstacles
in the way. Sometimes we have to do that extra.

"It may not be my job to take someone to the food bank on a Friday
afternoon, but I think it is my duty to do that. It's not what belongs
to me as my job, it is what needs to be done."

--------------------------------------------------------------
Miss a Tax Tale Miss a lot!
Pop the link below into your browser to view the entire CRA SOTW
Library!
http://canada.revenue.agency.angelfire.com
--------------------------------------------------------------
Alan Baggett – Tax Collector’s Bible - http://taxcollectorsbible.com/

Hey, while a liberal politically correct type means bullshitting, in
this case CRA did no wrong.  They actually showed some compassion, but
did no wrong.

Technically, she likely owed the money and should have chosen better
quality male on who she opens her legs up to in breeding.

My guess, the poor genetic choice of her boyfriend probably claimed her
as a dependent.

[ snip ]

Lets hope the kids do OK.

--
The reason government can't fix the economic problems as government is
the problem.

--

John Fleming
Edmonton, Canada

     Old MacDonald had a farm E-I-E-I-O
     And on that farm he had a genome E-I-E-I-O
     With a SNP SNP here and a SNP SNP there,
     Here a SNP, there a SNP, everywhere a SNP SNP
     Old MacDonald had a farm E-I-E-I-O

--
The reason government can't fix the economic problems as government is
the problem.

The sad thing is, because they are too cheap to spend a few
dollars on safe sex, society is going to end up supporting
all their offspring.

--

John Fleming
Edmonton, Canada

     Old MacDonald had a farm E-I-E-I-O
     And on that farm he had a genome E-I-E-I-O
     With a SNP SNP here and a SNP SNP there,
     Here a SNP, there a SNP, everywhere a SNP SNP
     Old MacDonald had a farm E-I-E-I-O

But society will not support them indefinitely.

Presents a real long term sustainability problem too.  Welfare ho has 8
kids to get big payments from welfare.  Working professional people have
to have 2 jobs to pay the taxes for welfare and government corruption,
too tired working-tax poor only have one kid or even no kids.

The opposite of darwin, de-evolution of the species both in cranium and
in social culture.

And why Canadian society will fail at some point.  it is pretty much
assured we have passed the apex of development of a Canadian culture and
are now in the decay phase.

Probably why there are so many liberal socialists discarding the
conservative values of self worth, determination, self discipline, self
development, work ethics, save a little often, spend less than you make,
independence....

Poor snowflake fleabaggers will never understand the best liberty of
them all is economic liberty.
--
The reason government can't fix the economic problems as government is
the problem.

Best way to guarantee your employment is your ability to
find work.  If you are good at finding work, even in poor
economies, you will have an income.

(Interestingly enough, the people I know who argue most that
this is wrong seem to work in union shops--especially
government union shops.  People I know who agree whole
heartedly are usually small business people and self
employed.)

--

John Fleming
Edmonton, Canada

     Old MacDonald had a farm E-I-E-I-O
     And on that farm he had a genome E-I-E-I-O
     With a SNP SNP here and a SNP SNP there,
     Here a SNP, there a SNP, everywhere a SNP SNP
     Old MacDonald had a farm E-I-E-I-O

End result, the people who pay for and make society work, the value
added producer is outnumbered and a slave to the majority.  So all an
unscrupulous politician has to do is pander with other peoples money and
gets 25% of the vote.

Also why screw the rich and persecute the companies and expect jobs
actually sells to the lower class union types.  Add tehm in and
productive members are outvoted.

The right solution would be, if you are on welfare, in prison, a
government worker you get no vote.  Normalize a better representation of
clear value direction.

BTW, I have been union several times.  Left me with no respect for them.
  Many unions are weak place holders, others are militant anti-company
to a point they cut their own throats or in the case of government,
screw the taxpayers.  Or like GM/CAW and the NDP, Liberal Block bribe
for a coupe d'etat.  GM/CAW/UAW got the bailout, but GM lost my
business.  Only way to fight the extortion.

--
All successful people have one thing in common, if even for a moment
they think rationally.

Since then, people started retiring earlier--25 to 30 years
of service plus age 55 could satisfy the rule of
80-something many pensions have to qualify for full pension.
On top of that, people are living longer.

Result is there are now as little as two workers for every
retiree.

Defined benefit plans still need to provide the same level
of income--regardless of how long the retiree lives.  And if
the plan's investments produce less then the income required
to support retirees, guess who comes up with the difference?

People working towards retirement wake up one morning to
discover the pension plan has increased their monthly
pension plan contributions to make up for the shortfall.

At the same time, I agree, unions can be their own worst
enemies.  They create an environment where promotion is by
seniority instead of ability and level of contribution. They
drag the employer over a barrel to the point where the
employer closes the plant down or ships production overseas
where people work twice as hard for a third of the pay.

--

John Fleming
Edmonton, Canada

     Old MacDonald had a farm E-I-E-I-O
     And on that farm he had a genome E-I-E-I-O
     With a SNP SNP here and a SNP SNP there,
     Here a SNP, there a SNP, everywhere a SNP SNP
     Old MacDonald had a farm E-I-E-I-O

Then NorTel situation where it gets devalued 4 times or more.

Or CPP, where 6 years to full pension without the full pay in and then
go back to the old country and live like king.  Rampant abuse there too
for CPP.  Plus government borrows from it with below inflation returns
so over time it looses value.

Pensions today are scams for the most part.

In your name/account/control is the only way to go.

If in your name/account/control she or your estate get 100% of the
value.  Not so in pooled scams.  Hell, you could die the next day after
retirement and your family gets squat from pooled scams.

--
All successful people have one thing in common, if even for a moment
they think rationally.