Volunteer Firefighter Tax Credit wording Changed!

[HowleyFireDept]

To Ivan White.... H&R Block or BCJ or whoever you use will not give anyone a tax exemption without seeing the documentation. That CRA doesn't want to see it is irrelevant. It would be like asking for an education tax exemption, they would ask for documentation from the post secondary training centre. Remember they stand behind your tax forms in the event of an audit, they are just covering themselves.

[vmackenzie]

Folks, this is totally unneccessay. It is up to the individual firefighter to decide if they are going to claim their deduction if they qualify. H&R Block or anyone elese's policy has nothing to do with the actual exemption. If all 6000 firefighters were required to have letter from chiefs that would place an unreasonable strain on fire departments. This was not the intention of the exemtion in the first place.

I dont think H&R will call anyone a liar if they claim the firefighter tax credit. You, the firefighter, must be the one to determine if you are indeed eligible, as with any other claim you would make on your taxes.You must have knowlege and know that your fire chief will have to provide you documentation if and when you get audited. We all should know our level of participation in the fire service, and everyone is different, so you must be the one to determine eligibility based on your particiaption in your fire department.If you are audited and found ineleigble, the you the firefighter will be the one on the hook to the tax man.