Disability Tax Credit

The Disability Tax Credit (DTC) has been getting a beating from the federal government. This modest tax benefit meant to assist with the costs of living with a disability continues to become increasingly difficult to quality for.

The DTC doesn’t amount to more than about $1,500, while costs of disability can reach the several thousands. However, even a token sum is an acknowledgement that a disability is expensive.

A March 2002 report by the federal Sub-Committee on the Status of Persons with Disabilities called for an overhaul of the Disability Tax Credit program. The subcommittee held public hearings a year ago after complaints by consumers. It recommended a full review of the DTC legislation.

But the government has completely disregarded the report and introduced troubling amendments to the DTC. The new changes are stricter about defining a person’s ability to perform tasks to daily living independently. Under the new definitions, for instance, someone with a significant mental health disorder who may not be capable of deciding to wash or wear clean clothes will not quality for the DTC, as long as he or she can physically put the clothes on. And someone with a physical disability who can use a spoon but cannot cook or carry a bowl to the table without assistance is no longer defined as someone who cannot eat without help.

"Basically, you almost have to be dead to get the credit," CAILC national director Traci Walters recently told The Globe and Mail.