February 27th, 2017 - 4:57pm

Press Releases

WINDSOR – Due to the ongoing Phoenix pay system fiasco, local New Democrat MPs are calling on the Liberal government to extend the 2016 CRA tax filing deadline to avoid further headaches and delays.

“After issuing thousands of incorrect T4s, the government now expects Canadians to file their taxes based on wrong information. This will lead to incorrect assessments and unfair delays for Canadians,” said Cheryl Hardcastle, MP (Windsor—Tecumseh). “The obvious solution is to extend the tax filing deadline so the government can sort this mess out before creating a whole new one.”

One year after the roll out of Phoenix, thousands of public servants still have not been paid what they have earned. Now, in the midst of tax season, an estimated 50,000 erroneous tax slips were sent out and the CRA has said that even if T4s are inaccurate, public servants must still file their taxes on time.

“I’ve met with many people in Essex who have been impacted by the Phoenix pay system fiasco, some who waited months for a paycheque and others who were massively overpaid. Now they’re concerned about getting stuck in another cycle of government delays and mismanagement,” added Tracey Ramsey, MP (Essex).

“The Phoenix pay system has been a disaster from the start. One year later, it’s still putting excessive stress on public servants. With the upcoming budget, the Liberal government should properly fund departments and agencies to ensure this debacle is fixed once and for all,” said Brian Masse, MP (Windsor West).

The three largest federal public service unions are urging the government to include a $75 million Phoenix contingency fund in the upcoming federal budget to help ensure public service workers are paid correctly and on-time.

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