Highlights for the 2009 tax year

• Beginning in the 2009 tax year, EFILE Online and EFILE Online Plus will accept income tax and benefit returns for taxpayers who have died in the year after the tax year.
• For more information about updates for the 2009 tax year visit www.cra.gc.ca.

For 2009 and later tax years, EFILE Online and EFILE Online Plus will accept income tax and benefit returns for taxpayers who have died in the year after the tax year.

The CRA is committed to providing tax preparers with up-to-date information. For more information about updates for the 2009 tax year, please visit the CRA’s Web site at www.cra.gc.ca.

Elections Canada Consent Section

• Elections Canada obtains information from taxfilers that answer yes to both questions to update the National Register of Electors.
• The information is used only by Elections Canada for electoral purposes.

On page 1 of the income tax and benefit return, taxfilers are asked if they want to give their consent to the transfer of their name, address, date of birth, and Canadian citizenship information to Elections Canada to update the National Register of Electors.

The National Register of Electors is used at the start of federal elections and by-elections to create voter lists and, during an election, to send information cards to eligible electors to tell them where and when to vote.

For the 2009 return, the wording has been modified to reflect that this information is also shared with provincial and territorial election agencies, members of Parliament and registered political parties, as well as candidates during election time.

Elections Canada would like your co-operation to ensure that your clients have the opportunity to provide their consent. Without this consent, some electors may not appear at the right address on electoral lists, which would require them to contact Elections Canada to update their information.

The information will be used only by Elections Canada for electoral purposes only, as permitted under the Canada Elections Act.

More information about this initiative is available to you and your clients in the General Income Tax and Benefit Guide and on the Elections Canada Web site at wwww.elections.ca.