Christmas without cash

Residents of Sanikiluaq waited for almost two weeks for their child tax benefit cheques to arrive. - Kent Driscoll/NNSL photo

Child Tax Benefits Facts

Note: These numbers do not include the separate Nunavut Child Benefit

Basic Benefit: $1,228 yearly

Bonus for three or more children: $86 yearly

Bonus for children under age seven: $243 yearly, reduced by 25 per cent of the amount claimed under child care on your annual tax return

Benefits are reduced by two per cent of the family income for one child families, by four per cent for families with four or more children

You can have your child tax benefit deposited directly in your bank account by filling out tax form T1-DD(1) Direct Deposit Request -- Individual. Tax forms are available at Canada Post outlets or online at www.cra-arc.gc.ca

To contact the Canada Revenue Agency about your child tax benefit, call 1-800-387-1193 Nunavut Child Benefit:

A non-taxable supplement paid to families with children under 18.

Basic rate: $27.50 per month per child

Paid with federal Child Tax Benefit

Families with yearly earned income of more than $3,750 also qualify for the territorial worker's supplement of $22.91 per month per child, and up to $29.16 per month for two or more children. Families with net income above $20,921 may qualify for part of that benefit.

Source: Canada Revenue Agency

Christmas without cash

Kent Driscoll
Northern News Services

Sanikiluaq (Jan 02/06) - A number of residents in Sanikiluaq saw Christmas come and go without some much needed money.

About 30 families received their child tax credit cheques on Dec. 30, cheques that were supposed to arrive before Christmas, but for the second month in a row were late.

Old-age pension cheques were among the missing too, but Canada Post chartered a plane to get them to the community on Dec. 23.

There were 15 child tax credit cheques on that flight as well.

"I'm anxious and a little bit mad. The kids are very hungry and we couldn't get to buy some food. Our debt is a little too high right now," said Josey Cookie.

The Co-op and the Northern store extended some extra credit to families expecting cheques, but people with large debts couldn't qualify.

"It was nothing extravagant, but we helped out," said Northern store manager Glen Clark.

"There hasn't really ben a drop in sales, but people are being more particular about what they buy."

Clark's store also houses the post office, and every time the mail plane arrived, residents scrambled to find out if their cheque had come in.

"It's bad. I was going to get some presents. It's hard," said Sarah N. Kittosak. She has five children ranging in age from five to 11 years old.

"I've been waiting since Dec. 13 and we didn't even get it yet," said Kittosak on Dec, 29.

Her sister Alexandra Ippak has applied for welfare to cover the gap in her income, but to no avail. She has seven children, the oldest is 13 and the youngest is two.

"The mail is not well here. They always forget the mail," said Ippak.

"I got less gifts and less food. I'm not really mad."

The 20th day of the month is usually when child tax benefit cheques are issued, but in December, the date is usually pushed up to Dec. 13, to help families prepare for the holidays.

In November, the cheques didn't come in until the end of the month.