Sask. farmer's tax refund in limbo as legislation stalls

May 11, 2022

A Saskatchewan farm family is still waiting for their roughly $10,000 tax refund as a new tax credit remains stuck in legislative mud.

"It just makes the workload a little bit heavier," Gail Skavlebo said.

The Skavlebos run a 500-acre grain farm west of Shellbrook and were planning to put their refund toward inputs for this crop year, repairs and upgrades — such as roll tarps for their grain trucks so her 66-year-old husband wouldn't have to crawl up onto the box and pull the tarp shut by hand.

They filed their taxes on March 12. However, because they applied for the new Fuel Charged Proceeds to Farmers Tax Credit contained in Bill C-8, which has yet to receive royal assent, Canada Revenue Agency hasn't processed their refund. Teachers who applied for the Eligible Educator School Supply Tax Credit are in the same boat.

As of April 18, the CRA said about 70,000 returns were being held back due to either tax credit.

"Should Royal Assent be achieved, the Notices of Assessment will be issued to the impacted individuals," a CRA spokesperson said in a statement to CTV News last month.

Click here to see more...

Video: Finding a Balance of Innovation and Regulation - Dr. Peter Facchini

Regulations help markets and industry exist on level playing fields, keeping consumers safe and innovation from going too far. However, incredibly strict regulations can stunt innovation and cause entire industries to wither away. Dr. Peter James Facchini brings his perspective on how existing regulations have slowed the advancement of medical developments within Canada. Given the international concern of opium poppy’s illicit potential, Health Canada must abide by this global policy. But with modern technology pushing the development of many pharmaceuticals to being grown via fermentation, is it time to reconsider the rules?

Dr. Peter James Facchini leads research into the metabolic biochemistry in opium poppy at the University of Calgary. For more than 30 years, his work has contributed to the increased availability of benzylisoquinoline alkaloid biosynthetic genes to assist in the creation of morphine for pharmaceutical use. Dr. Facchini completed his B.Sc. and Ph.D. in Biological Sciences at the University of Toronto before completing Postdoctoral Fellowships in Biochemistry at the University of Kentucky in 1992 & Université de Montréal in 1995.