Alberta Chartered Professional Accountants help those in need this tax season with tax tips and clinics

EDMONTON, April 3, 2018 /CNW/ - Every year, Chartered Professional Accountants of Alberta (CPA Alberta) organizes and hosts free tax clinics for low-income Albertans and newcomers looking for assistance with their tax returns.

In partnership with 133 organizations—including seniors' homes, community centres, and other not-for-profit agencies—over 500 Chartered Professional Accountants (CPAs) will volunteer at 298 tax clinics. In 2017, volunteers completed over 4,000 returns through the Tax Clinic program.

One of the partner organizations that will benefit from having the skills and services of volunteer CPAs is Dickinsfield Amity House, a family resource centre in Edmonton that has been providing support services to the community since 1972.

"I am honoured to give back to the community by helping those at the Dickinsfield Amity House prepare their taxes," says Mandeep Dhaliwal, CPA candidate and senior accountant at KPMG's office in Edmonton. "It is a great feeling to show someone that they are entitled to a tax rebate or program that they didn't know about, and get them a few extra dollars back. In many cases, this can make a real difference in a person's finances and life."

"This is our third year running tax clinics with CPA Alberta volunteers, and the support that we have received has been invaluable. We are a community benefit agency that supports families and individuals in the community facing challenging life situations. Having CPAs provide volunteer tax returns is a weight lifted off our clients' shoulders," says Tracy Patience, Executive Director, Dickinsfield Amity House.

Tax Tips

Another way that CPA Alberta is helping with the stresses of tax season is by providing 65 tax tips to help Albertans optimize available tax credits and tax-deductible expenses.

These tips are intended as general guidelines to help with preparing tax articles leading up to the April 30, 2018 deadline. They touch on a variety of topics, including income from rent or scholarships, tax-deductible union dues, employment medical benefits, education expenses, tax credits, and much more.

The full list of Tax Tips is available online at www.cpaalberta.ca/taxtips.

Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) is the Canadian business and accounting designation representing more than 200,000 professional accountants across the country. As part of the CPA profession in Canada, CPA Alberta is the professional regulatory organization for more than 28,500 CPAs across the province.

SOURCE CPA Alberta Joint Venture

Media Contact: Gordon Turtle, Senior Vice President, Communications, T: 780.420.2359, Email: [email protected]