CRA: Community Volunteer Income Tax Program (CVITP)

DID YOU KNOW?

• Saanich Volunteer Services has been operating its Community Volunteer Income Tax Program for over ten years.

• In 2019, 640 Income Tax returns were completed by SVSS Income Tax Volunteers.

• SVSS has 10 Income Tax Volunteers who prepare, and file returns electronically at no cost to the client.

• Income Tax Volunteers are registered and screened by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) and provided training.

• Income Tax Volunteers can file taxes up to 10 years back.

• You should file taxes even if you have no income. If you do not file your taxes you are not entitled to receive many government benefits or credits such as GST/HST, Canada Pension Plan (CPP), and the BC Low-Income Climate Action Tax Credit.

The Income Tax Program is designed to help modest income recipients who qualify under the following:

 Single person up to $35,000 annual income

 Couples up to $45,000 annual income

 The tax situation must be simple.

START DATE: Tax filing for 2020 returns starts Monday, March 1, 2021. Most tax slips are mailed no later than February 28, 2021, although T3 and T5013 forms do not need to be mailed out until March 31, 2021. Please ensure you have received all your slips before filing.

DEADLINE: Tax filing for 2020 ends April 30, 2021.

NEED HELP WITH YOUR INCOME TAX? CALL (250) 595-8008 TODAY!

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2020 President's Appeal: Donate Today

The president's appeal is a yearly tradition where we ask the public for financial support so we can continue to provide free resources for seniors in our community.

"COVID-19 has made this year one of the most challenging in our history...we need financial resources to meet increased community demand and pay for things like driver mileage reimbursement, office costs and funding of a handful of dedicated paid staff." -Peter Argast, Board President and Volunteer Read the full appeal from our Board President in PDF form here or click the link below to download.

President-Appeal-Final-letter-Nov-20

.pdf

Download PDF • 131KB

Follow the link below to donate to SVSS:

DONATE

#PresidentsAppeal #Fundraising

Meet Martin Bache, Volunteer "Handyman"

Martin Bache, Volunteer Handyman

Martin Bache volunteers with SVSS doing minor home repairs, yard work, and is a member of our Volunteer Advisory Council. With a background in Mechanical Engineering, he used to work in project management for the construction industry. In 2015 he retired and moved from Vancouver to Victoria.

He has always enjoyed carpentry and gardening as hobbies and often helps out family member with house repairs, so it seemed a natural transition to volunteer doing the things he loves, and get to meet interesting people along the way.

“I have the bonus of meeting some wonderful people with decades of wisdom. Talking to them is amazing,” says Bache, when discussing his time with SVSS. “Some of the ladies I’ve met have incredible stories of being in Europe during the war.”

He goes on to describe how much he appreciates the “depths of history” that SVSS clients have shared with him while he is on the job volunteering.

Martin with Doryce, and SVSS client

Martin has a small, fenced in garden, protected from the deer, and appreciates gardening and how it, along with carpentry, provides an opportunity for light exercise on a regular basis. In the fall, SVSS kept him busy helping clients manage their yards.

Some of the home repair projects he has enjoyed doing for SVSS include repairing the door

framing of a tool shed, exterior house painting, and relinking a drainage down spout. Right now he is also working on a deck and tree management for his own family members in Victoria.

When not volunteering with SVSS, Martin does home renovations for family members and enjoys cycling, car mechanics, and carpentry as

retirement hobbies.

Want to learn more about Martin? He is featured in two of our videos:

SVSS is following all mandated protocols and doing our best to keep you safe. As such, our volunteers are currently only able to provide support for exterior and contactless services. If you have the need for light exterior home repair or yard-work, let us know by calling (250) 595-8008 and we will put you in touch with a volunteer like Martin.