Low-income Seniors Receive Tax Refund Cheques

The province is returning about $9 million in income tax this year to about 18,000 seniors as part of its commitment to help make ends meet.

The refund, announced in the 2010-11 budget, gives seniors who receive the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) a refund of their provincial income tax. Every eligible senior will receive at least $50.

"We're really happy to be putting this money back into the hands of seniors, because we know that every dollar counts," said Graham Steele, Minister of Finance. "This was a personal initiative of Premier Darrell Dexter and it will make life a little better for thousands of low-income seniors."

The Department of Finance used information from 2010 tax returns to assess eligibility and process refunds.

The first mailing this week will provide about 15,500 low-income seniors with more than $6.6 million.

"Low-income seniors are increasingly finding it difficult to pay every-day expenses," said Sandra Murphy, executive director of Community Links, a provincial organization of 270 senior and senior-serving organizations. "This tax refund for seniors on GIS is a recognition of that reality and provides a tangible benefit for low-income seniors in the province."

As tax-return information is received from the Canada Revenue Agency, more cheques will be processed and mailed this fall.

Seniors do not have to apply for this refund, but they must file a tax return each year.

Those who did not file a return in this taxation year, but who are eligible, can still receive the refund when they file a tax return.