As Canadian citizens, we are committed to doing our part to support the implementation of the Government of Canada’s Poverty Reduction Strategy, through the CVITP which is integral to this Strategy. We see the income tax and benefit system as an increasingly important vehicle, used by all orders of government to achieve this aim. The CVITP is a critical complement to the income tax and benefit system in meeting this objective. We are therefore committed to helping advance the CVITP.
From our experience of working as CVITP volunteers with a number of host organizations, we have learned that there are many unexploited opportunities for improving on the current CVITP experience, some of which can be facilitated through greater use of the tools offered by the internet.
Through this website, we will:
– explore the strengths and limitations of the CVITP; and
– develop solutions for improving the CVITP’s efficiency and effectiveness.
We will do this by providing:
Information and ideas for volunteers and host organizations
There is a need for an independent source of information and ideas for volunteers and host organizations wishing to support the Canada Revenue Agency’s CVITP. As a government agency, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) is limited in what it can do.
We do not profess to being tax experts. But our experience tells us that many volunteers have very little knowledge of the unique tax-and-benefits situation of low-income Canadians. These volunteers are looking for a lot more information than the CRA has the time to provide outside of a phone call during a tax clinic or during a short pre-season training session.
Similarly, some host organizations want to enhance the service they provide to their clients and are looking for new ways to do this. We hope that, in a small but effective way, this website can contribute information and ideas that will prove useful to volunteers and host organizations.
Networking forum for volunteers and host organizations
As no independent national forum currently exists to do this, we hope that this website can, in a modest way, start to fill this void. Volunteers and host organizations rise to the challenge of providing their clients with quality service but may feel isolated from others working in what is presently a highly fragmented, localized field. They may be looking for opportunities to connect with others in the CVITP universe, to share and learn from their experiences, to ask questions and offer answers, and ideally to improve coordination independent of CRA’s efforts.
Information for a wider audience
Beyond CVITP clients, volunteers and host organizations, few Canadians are aware of what is really happening within the income tax and benefit system, especially as it applies to helping advance poverty reduction in Canada. This is particularly true for Canadian media which invest little in background research and analysis on this topic. It also applies to many public policymakers who are unaware of just how important the income tax and benefit system has become as a tool for promoting the government’s poverty reduction objectives.
Advocacy for new ideas
As with any program, there is always room to improve on the CVITP and, in this regard, we are not lacking in ideas. We will use the website to advocate for ideas we believe can lead to better service to CVITP clients as well as support to volunteers and host organizations.
A bilingual resource
CVITP volunteers and host organizations work in multiple languages to enhance communication with their clients. Similarly, to reach a national audience, we are committed to providing our content in both official languages. (We welcome comments from our readers in the official language of their choice. When these are posted on the website, we will retain the language used by the author.) To access content in the other official language, please click on the button provided on the main website pages.
* A disclaimer *
While we have experience as CVITP volunteers, we are not tax experts. Anyone seeking information about the Canadian income tax and benefit system should not take ours as the final word. They are advised to consult the Canada Revenue Agency or a certified tax accountant.