There's that dreaded task done for another year.  And off he goes to put them in the mail to the Canada Revenue Agency.  Little wonder that so many people seek the help of professional accountants to complete their tax returns.  And ours is relatively uncomplicated, since we're both retirees of fairly long standing.

It is beyond helpful that we are able to split our incomes for income tax purposes.  Due to the fact that my annual income is so modest it's far below the poverty line.  Which makes it most convenient that my husband's is not, reflecting his multiple-decades of labour as a federal government employee.  The result being what is termed a gold-plated retirement income in the sense that it is linked to the cost of living (that lovely COLA clause), leaving us with a defined benefit pension in our retirement.

The charitable tax receipts were gathered and inputted, along with any other tax breaks that come the way of senior citizens.  That we allocate a significant portion of our income to alleviating the financial strain of a family member unemployed for the last several years is not something we can claim even though it keeps that individual from calling upon provincial and federal social welfare programs.

We can only feel ourselves to have been vastly entitled and we are grateful for that, by having had the good fortune to be born in Canada, a country which enables its citizens and taxpayers to live comfortable lives, even those who struggle to pay their bills, since all things are relative and what is difficult here compared to elsewhere in the world represents luxury the underprivileged in developing countries cannot even begin to imagine.

The working poor and the unemployed are able to call on a number of financially beneficial assists, and those retiring without the comfort of a modest pension do have the assurance of receiving the country's Old Age benefit and Canada Pension Plan payments if they qualify.  Beyond that there is an income top-up for seniors living under the poverty line.

Canadian seniors are very well dealt with; provincial government health plans and drug formulary benefits aid hugely in ensuring that we are not swamped with health-related bills we cannot pay.