By Carole Rooney – 100 Mile House Free Press
Published: February 08, 2012 8:00 AM
Updated: February 08, 2012 8:22 AM
The federal government is currently promoting the Volunteer Firefighters Tax Credit it introduced in the 2011 budget last March.
100 Mile House Fire-Rescue chief Darrell Blades says he thinks it will be good for volunteer firefighters all across the country.
“It’s a great program to have for volunteer firefighters that recognizes the unique role they play.”
A recent government release states the non-refundable tax credit is available to any volunteer firefighter who serves at least 200 hours a year beginning on Jan. 1, 2011.
This service time includes being on call for firefighting and other emergencies, in addition to responding to calls, attending fire department meetings and taking training courses.
Blades says the on-call eligibility will be a key aspect of the program for the dedicated men and women who volunteer with their local fire departments.
It’s unlike a typical volunteer’s role that has scheduled activities where individuals know well ahead of time, he explains.
“Our volunteers know what their training schedule is, but the rest of the time they’re on call 24/7. You can’t schedule your life around it.”
When the tax credit was originally announced last spring, Blades notes, it wasn’t clear to him what constituted eligible volunteer hours.
“In the new [government] release, if you are on call 24/7, it counts toward your hours, so most volunteer departments will rack up their volunteer hours in the first two months.
“With that interpretation, it’s a very good program.”
With fire halls across the South Cariboo currently in the midst of a recruitment drive, he adds the timing is also good.
The release states eligible volunteer firefighters can claim up to $3,000 and can reduce their income tax as much as $450.
Last spring when the tax credit was announced, Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo Cathy McLeod indicated the volunteer firefighter tax credit was “critically important” in terms of her riding.
“I know throughout our riding most of our volunteer fire departments have been really keen on getting this credit.”
Blades says emergency service volunteer work, such as firefighting, also requires an extensive training time investment.
“There are literally hundreds of hours of training to do before you can even do the job. They are highly skilled volunteers.”
Since the firefighters’ tax credit isn’t refundable, however, lower-income volunteers who pay no income tax will not receive the credit as a refund.
Volunteer firefighters who receive a payment from a government or other public authority for carrying out their duties may be eligible for an income exemption of up to $1,000, but if claimed, cannot claim the non-refundable tax credit.
For more information about the volunteer firefighter’s tax credit, go to www.cra.gc.ca/firefighter.
