Infographic: 2019 Annual Report of the Disability Advisory Committee

This page contains the text version of the infographic used to highlight the key findings and recommendations of the Committee’s 2019 report, Enabling access to disability tax measures.

The Disability Advisory Committee advises the Canada Revenue Agency on how the Agency can improve the way it administers and interprets tax measures for Canadians with disabilities

We heard from…

• +1,200 individuals
• 34 organizations
• through meetings, submissions and surveys
• and came up with 42 recommendations

We found that…

• ~770,000 Canadians claimed the disability tax credit (DTC) in 2016-17, providing $1.3 billion in tax relief
• +89% of applications, on average, are approved each year
• Applications for mental functions have lower approval rates
• +4,500 Canadians had registered disability savings plans (RDSPs) clawed back after losing DTC eligibility

We recommend…

Making it easier for more Canadians to qualify for the disability tax credit

• Make eligibility criteria for physical and mental functions clearer and more clinically accurate
• Create a list of health conditions that automatically qualify someone
• Automatically qualify Canadians who need life-sustaining therapy

Making the disability tax credit application process fairer

• Make the DTC form easier to fill out, and consider having separate forms for adults and children
• Simplify health providers’ role in the application process
• Give denied applicants better information about why they were denied and what they can do about it

Making it easier to keep RDSPs and get other disability benefits

• Reconsider whether the DTC should be a gateway to other benefits
• Allow Canadians to keep their RDSP grants and bonds for all periods when they qualify for the DTC

• Make sure Canadians remain eligible for other benefits, even if they no longer qualify for the DTC

Making helping Canadians with disabilities a priority

• Reduce poverty for Canadians with disabilities
• Provide more help to offset the cost of having a disability by making the DTC a refundable credit
• Raise awareness about tax measures for persons with disabilities
• Collect a wider range of DTC data to understand better how the DTC affects Canadians

Read the full report at canada.ca/disability-advisory-committee