To the editor;
Beginning on July 6, the federal government will be sending out $300, TAX-FREE, to 6.7 million seniors who receive Old Age Security (OAS) to help cover the added financial burden caused by COVID-19.
There are a great many seniors in the country who are financially impacted by several of the constraints placed on them by the pandemic and the measures put in place to cope with it. They will find the $300 to be a real benefit and for them this grant is entirely appropriate.
However, the financial impact of the pandemic has resulted in many of us spending less money than we would otherwise. We are not traveling, we are not eating out, we are not shopping, and we haven’t had a haircut in four months. So we don’t find ourselves in need of this $300.
The last thing we would like is to be financially rewarded for COVID-19. We should not, at this time, be taking advantage of the taxpayers’ money, especially when so many of our fellow citizens are in greater need of this assistance. What to do?
The first response is to donate the $300 to a charitable group that is suffering to deliver services at this time. And in return, get a tax credit. But really! That doesn’t seem right for us to still benefit from Covid-19. So then we did the math. If we donate MORE than the $300 so that the tax credit evens out, we can have a clear conscience. We invite you to check it out with your tax accountant.
Here in B.C. any taxpayer who has already made at least a $200 charitable donation can give $532 and receive a tax credit for $232.48. With the $300 from the government, this taxpayer evens out. For a couple, that can be $1,064 going to a good cause.
We are calling on all Canada’s elders who find themselves to not be in need of this $300 to accept the Great Canadian Seniors Break-Even Challenge and head to www.seniorsgivingback.org and make your donation. Then tell us how good you feel by email at seniorsgivingback@gmail.com. Giving should always make you feel good.
Kevin Higgins, Cranbrook, BC
Dave Ferguson, St. John, NB
Don Ferguson, Toronto, ON
John Hamblin, Halifax, NS
Patrick Martin, Westmount, QC
