The CRA wants you to like your CERB refund or not.
If you are one of the many people in Canada who have taken advantage of the Canadian Emergency Response Program (CERB) in the past two years, you may want to check that your requests were legitimate.
The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) is in the process of auditing the many payments it handed out to people at the start of the lockdown and many Canadians are currently being told they need to repay some or all of that money .
CERB: Basically, the letter I received said: You qualified for this, you correctly stated the period you qualified for, but we are stupid government bureaucrats and we gave you one check too many . So now that you’ve paid taxes on it and the election is far behind: pay it back!
— Christian Boutin (@christianboutin) May 30, 2022
Although it is not yet clear how many people will receive these beautiful notices in the mail, it could be devastating for low-income people who may not be able to repay what they have received.
They knew that reimbursement was a possibility. I know two welfare recipients who have collected CERB, now they are pissed off having to pay it back. They thought the government sucked back then and bragged about it. No sympathy from me.
— PoliticalCupid for PM 🌻💙🇺🇦💛 #PoiliNever (@PoliticalCupid) May 30, 2022
It doesn’t stop there – verification work will continue over the next four years as new data from tax returns and records of employment comes into play, according to Employment and Social Development Canada.
Advocates are calling on the government to cancel these debts which could seriously affect people’s livelihoods.
Man why am I getting a refund notice from ceb right now I’m going kms!!!!!
— cringe69 (@milddevon) May 25, 2022
They also point to the fact that many people were unaware of who was eligible to receive CERB payments, with many receiving more money than they qualified for without even realizing it.
CERB was set up in the dumbest way, it should have gone through EI with SIN numbers from day one, yes. BUT those of you who stole or doubled deserve what you are getting now. Period.
— Cynthia Sirian (@lahey_cynthia) May 30, 2022
While there are always exceptions, many CERB recipients who are now facing reimbursement did not apply with the intent to abuse the system.
How does the Canadian government get away with saying first “you won’t have to pay CERB back” to “oh you have to pay CERB taxes” to “ops we accidentally gave you too much money” ‘money, our bad, but you’re gonna need to pay it back ASAP’ 🙄🙄
— Hayley Parrill (@HayleyJaclyn13) May 25, 2022
Many people are worried about what will happen, blaming the government for not just letting the payments go through.
Especially with inflation, the general consensus is that CERB should be treated as a grant instead of a loan. Much of the money people have received has already been spent on rent and other necessities.
Anyone wishing to dispute their notice should contact the CRA to verify their claim.
