Your tax drop box closing? Here's what that means for us.
Good morning from the Hammer — steel town, art town, your town. Don't look away.
So, the Canada Revenue Agency is shutting down all its drop boxes after this tax season, right? Says they're moving to digital, trying to be more efficient. Listen, I'm from the Mountain, and I know efficiency when I see it, but I also know that not everyone in Hamilton is on high-speed internet with a fancy scanner at home. What about our nonnas down on Barton Street, the ones who still like to drop off a physical envelope, keep it simple? Or the folks whose internet budget is going to groceries or rent? This isn't just about convenience; for some, it's about access, plain and simple. We've got communities, especially around the industrial corridor, where every little bit of hassle makes a big difference. Closing those drop boxes? That's going to hit some of our most vulnerable neighbours harder than others, right?
The CRA thinks everyone's digital, but that's a Toronto or Vancouver way of thinking. Here in Hamilton, we know better. We've got people juggling jobs, maybe taking the bus from Gage Park all the way down to the Bay Area Farmers' Market for their groceries, and now they're supposed to find a printer and figure out how to upload documents? This isn't just a national news story about tax forms; it's a very real, very local challenge for folks who are already stretching every dollar. We're a city that prides itself on looking out for each other, and this feels like another little hurdle for the people who least need one.
Sonja Kovačević-Mountain, MiTL Sports Desk, Hamilton.
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