People with Type 1 Diabetes in BC want tax credit brought back

The fight to restore the Disability Tax Credit used by people living with Type 1 Diabetes in BC will continue later this week.

Up until May 2nd, people living with the disease were able to claim the $1,500 credit to help cover the costs of monitoring their blood sugar on a daily basis.

A meeting is set for Thursday between the Canada Revenue Agency and Diabetes Canada with the hope of restoring the financial aid.

“We’re bringing to the table representatives of doctors and nurses and specialists in diabetes to help educate the CRA about how type 1 diabetes is managed and why many people should qualify for this program,” says Kimberley Hanson, Director of Federal Affairs with Diabetes Canada.

We're showing the @CanRevAgency how serious the denial of the Disability Tax Credit is to people with #type1 #diabetes! These packages are filled with just a small sample of letters people received denying their claims. We need an urgent resolution! #T1D pic.twitter.com/cagKHYbFZx

— Diabetes Canada (@DiabetesCanada) November 21, 2017

Since the funding was taken away this spring by the CRA, it has changed the way people manage the disease.

“To take away a $1,500 tax credit that for a lot of people is the difference between them being able to test their blood sugar an extra couple times a day or not is really, really cruel.”

“The eligibility for the Disability Tax Credit also made it possible for that person to set up a registered disability savings plan, which is a little bit like a registered education plan you would set up for your kids where if you make a donation than it attracts government grants and bonds.”

Hanson would also like to see anyone is passionate about the subject to get politically involved.

“It’s a little bit like if you woke up tomorrow morning and the government had said you can’t have your retirement savings any more, we’re going to take it back. It’s a real injustice and people can write to their MP’s or communicate with them and this should help keep the pressure on until we can achieve a resolution with the CRA.”

About 1.5 million people either live with diabetes or pre-diabetes in BC with anywhere between 25,000 and 50,000 of those currently diagnosed with Type 1.