Canadians late getting GST cheques

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Canadians late getting GST cheques

Canadian Press

Friday, July 05, 2002 OTTAWA -- A computer glitch will prevent thousands of low-income Canadians from receiving their GST rebate cheques on time, the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency said Friday.

The delayed GST credit payments affect 68,000 people, said Caroline Jacques, a national spokeswoman for the agency. A previous report from the agency's Atlantic offices listed the number at 73,000. "We certainly regret any inconvenience and delay in the issuing of these credit payments for those who are affected by this," said Jacques. The delay primarily affects low-income individuals, the main recipients of the quarterly GST credit payments.

The computer error applied the credit payments of these recipients against their outstanding debts with the agency or other government departments, rather than issuing a credit cheque directly to them.

Jacques said the CCRA has the legislative authority to apply the GST credit payments against certain amounts owed to the agency or certain external government departments.

But the agency's policy is to send the GST credit to the individual recipients when their family income is low, rather than using it against their outstanding balance.

"The computer system made an error and ignored this policy," said Jacques. "That's why this error happened."

She added that affected recipients should receive a letter advising them of the error within the next few days.

The agency will try to issue the payments by the end of July, she said.

http://www.canada.com/national/story.asp?id={16C351CB-711C-4593-8208-63EDB94EBF2E}

-- Anonymous, July 06, 2002


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