Revenue Canada recruits Inuit to provide tax help in Inuktitut

GREG YOUNGER-LEWIS

Call them the Inuit tax quartet.

The federal government is assembling a support team of four Inuit to help Nunavummiut and Nunavimmiut with the daunting task of doing their taxes, in Inuktitut.

Until now, Inuit have lacked any support services in Inuktitut, except for a sprinkling of community volunteers.

“We definitely need people to speak your language to serve you better,” said Maurice Levac, regional spokesman for the Canada Revenue Agency.

“The plan is to have the individuals trained in services that your community can benefit from.”

Levac said they’ve started training two Inuit in Ottawa already, and will hire two more in the coming weeks. This is the first time the government has offered any tax services in an indigenous language.

Their job description remains vague, except to make sure all Inuit can understand what their responsibilities and privileges are under the country’s tax system.

According to Levac, the Canada Revenue Agency formed a task force years ago to counter complaints that the tax system was neglecting Inuit.

He said the loudest and most influential complaint came from Nancy Karetak-Lindell, Nunavut’s MP.

“You’re a new territory,” Levac said. “We’re trying to help out with that. You came to us and said there’s a problem. We’re trying to solve it.”

The change is bound to put more bucks back in the pockets of Inuit outside of Iqaluit. Until now, Nunavut’s capital was one of the few northern communities with accounting firms and volunteers who could serve the needs of unilingual Inuit.

Small communities are the worst off when it comes to filing taxes, according to Nunavut politicians.

Peter Kattuk, MLA for Hudson Bay, told the legislative assembly last month that Nunavummiut weren’t being treated the same as other Canadians, who can get income tax information in English and French.

Kattuk said the government of Nunavut should at least consider levelling off the differences between communities in Nunavut.

During question period on March 16, Kattuk asked Finance Minister Leona Aglukkaq to explain why residents of a small community like Sanikiluaq didn’t have income tax support services, and were stuck mailing their forms to an accounting firm. Most times, he said, they didn’t know where to send them.

“Nunavummiut should be treated equally,” he said. “In smaller communities, these services are not available.”

Aglukkaq agreed many Nunavummiut can’t access help with filing their income taxes. However, she insisted it was up to the federal government to take care of the problem. Meanwhile, Nunavummiut would have to depend on family or volunteers.

Sharon Gee, the Iqaluit coordinator for a national volunteer group on income tax, said language barriers have long been a problem in helping Inuit with their taxes.

She said the new federal services were needed a long time ago.

“Far too many people do not know how to complete their own return,” said Gee, who volunteers with the Canada Volunteer Income Tax Program.

Gee said the tax system proves difficult for Nunavummiut even when there are Inuit volunteers to help them.

When Inuit volunteers aren’t there, it’s worse. Elders sometimes misunderstand certain demands for paperwork, and end up thinking that their file has been rejected. Similarly, elders get confused by requests for information in English terms they’re not familiar with, like “common-law spouse.”

Low-income residents have it worse, Gee said. They often can’t afford an accountant and ignore their tax returns for years.

Then, the working poor or unemployed miss out on rebates, and even lose the receipts needed to claim refunds in later years.

Gee recommends that the new Inuit helpers develop simple terms in Inuktitut for the information that they need to explain taxes to their clients.

She said Inuit should also be made aware of the GST rebate, and child tax benefit.

Members of the team expect to set up a booth at the Nunavut trade show next month, and later hold community consultation meetings.

Taxes are due April 30.