Innovation in Tax Filing: Identifying Barriers and Increasing Access

Federal and provincial governments use the tax system to establish eligibility and deliver benefits and credits to low-income Canadians. Low-income Canadians experience increased barriers to filing their taxes and thus do not maximize available benefits. This is likely to have worsened as free in-person tax clinics closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic or only provide services virtually and as a result become inaccessible for individuals who lack technology and internet access. On average 15.9% of working-age adults in Ontario do not file taxes and a third of social assistance recipients in Ontario do not file taxes. In collaboration with the City of Toronto and Prosper Canada, Seneca will identify barriers to tax filing within Toronto, identify creative solutions, and develop an implementation plan that will ultimately guide City of Toronto policies in the future and assist in the City of Toronto’s Poverty Reduction Strategy.

Faculty Supervisor:

Varinder Gill

Student:

Menaahel Zahid;Rishabh Sharma

Partner:

City of Toronto

Discipline:

Design

Sector:

Other services (except public administration)

University:

Seneca College