Canadian Veterans Advocacy - Widows tax

Canadian Veterans Advocacy - Widows tax
Ladies and Gentlemen we certainly have come a long way . The Prussians used to give their
Veterans a certificate that allowed them to beg. Now we allow the families to beg because the
state takes the money they give back. This at rate where the taking exceeds the giving, Taking a
dead man’s house from his family after he is killed employing your desires to give rights to
others? His family is destitute because you cannot protect his children as well as you try to
protect children in other lands. His wife loses her house because you throw her out because she
cannot pay her taxes. The courage of a government astounds me.
You treat soldier’s wives and children like money machines and when they no longer can keep it
going you throw them away and keep sending billions overseas. You give a new meaning to
atrocity. Now might I suggest that the money wasted on this election could have saved a few
families from destitution? I could try to wax eloquent but that is not my way. You are not fit to
represent the people of Canada when the people who have permitted and ensured you have
the right to have free and somewhat open elections are left in the gutter.
No man or family who has ever served in uniform protecting and defending the ideals you claim
to represent should ever have to choose between home and or food nor should his family ever
lose their home.
For the perusal of your collective if not somewhat, nearsighted intelligence.
Now at the risk of offending some of you can I suggest you put this rather substantial plank in
some ones platform. Please feel free to send this to the leaders of your parties. I am sure that
while they are trying to score political points this will make them all feel like heroes.
To: Canadian National Media
Subject: Canadian Veterans Advocacy - Widows tax
Ladies and Gentlemen.
As you know, one of the five principle the Canadian Veterans Advocacy was formed was to seek
redress for Canada's war widows under the One Veteran, One Standard principle that would
compare the benefits widows received prior to the implementation of the New Veterans
Charter and the compensation provided since 2006. I am including a letter from Ms Chantal Roy
and the link to the petition created to bring this unfair policy to parliament with the hope of
restoring the standard our war widows and their families bloody well deserve. Please read her
story, please sign the petition, please support our veterans and their families now and in the
future.
I am Chantal Roy, widow of the late David Byers 2 PPCLI during ‘Operation Medusa.’ My reason
for writing is to attain more information with regard to these very important issue that
continually affects the widows, and there child/children across Canada on an ongoing and daily
basis since the untimely demise of our husband in the past years. These are the points and
questions I have as to why our soldiers who sacrifice everything, are in the end, treated so
differently than others when killed on duty. For example: workers in every other workplace
where injury or death occur; benefits or pensions/child care benefits that are received by the
widow/widower are tax free monies for as long as the widow/widowers are living. When a
soldier killed while in the line of duty - and they too in fact; died on/at the Workplace; why are
the benefits they receive not tax free? This seems highly unfair considering they died in the
service of this country.
Why are there no laws such as those which govern the Provincial Workers Compensation
Legislation available to cover the families of our fallen military? I see this as shameful on the
part of the incumbent government. Surely, a Federal Government could and should instate a
law such as this that would govern our serving military personnel.
When you are alone and faced with a young family to see through school and try to have funds
available to them when/if they attend university or other institutes of higher learning every
dollar counts. It takes two incomes in today’s world to ready our youth for the workforce. The
way the Military/VAC benefit is set up for the fallen is - if the widow/widower is also in the
workforce; they receive the benefit only to lose the bulk of it to taxes.
Why are these monies/tax breaks not made available to the families who have given up their
dads, moms, sons, daughters for a better tomorrow for all else supposedly?
I know that some people who, may not speak out, and work in the force and are taxed at 47%
each year since the death of their husband. Most widows find it difficult to justify why they
even work, they work to pay taxes, is this what our late husband’s thought that would happen if
they happened to come home in a casket, I think not! Some of the widows find it most difficult
to justify a decision to stay on their career path or schooling to a new career path, as it will just
be given to Canada Revenue Agency.
The majority of Canadian Forces widows are stay at home moms, therefore do not run into the
large tax back grab issue. Still others were common-law spouses which in some cases the xwives receive the benefits putting them in low tax brackets. However; some mothers choose to
make a living, their salary, added to their husband death benefit puts my total household
income in the highest tax bracket possible. With my husband gone, I have no deductions. Why
is that money taxable? Our children also fill tax returns for their again, Taxable orphan benefits
last three years and they too will be taxed high when entering the workforce. What kind of
fairness does this spell when they already have lost the one thing they need the most in this
world. Example, my daughter never met her father as she was still in the womb, and since she
was 1 years old she has been paying taxes.
I certainly do not object to paying my fair share of taxes. However; I believe this country has to
give back at least as much as they were willing to take. In the case of our husband and our
childrens’ Dad, it was everything.
When this country asked these soldiers to put their lives on the line and step up to the plate for
Canada, they did it willingly. It would be nice for once to see just one politician respond in kind
to the needs of the families left behind.
When a soldier deploys overseas their allowances are all tax free or if receiving a medical
pension that too is tax free, but when a member is KIA the love ones left behind to an inflexible
set of taxes for the remainder of their lives. In desperation some widows have resorted to stop
paying their taxes due to the inability to manage the debt load. They are losing their homes and
living well below the standard to which they were once accustomed when their spouse was
alive and well. We should revere our fallen and respect the families who have lost so much in
an effort to make our world a kinder place for everyone. As a government you cannot give
them, nor can you replace even in part; what they need the most. Their loss will be felt for the
remainder of their days. However, I strongly believe it is incumbent upon our country and
certainly of our government who would ask time and time again of our very finest to lay their
life on the line for all, to do better by those who have done just that Laid Their Life on the Line. I
would ask that they support; unwaveringly; their grieving loved ones in a manner that would
reflect the respect these fallen loved ones truly earned and deserve. As a country we have the
means and the ability to make these lives better. Just as our loved ones died trying to make life
so much better for others far away, it is time for our country to step up and to make life for the
families of our fallen - and especially their children; a little easier as they walk this world forever without them.
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