The Disability Tax Credit: A Valuable Resource for Diabetics
Diabetes is a major cause of disability in Canada and many other developed and developing nations. It’s a debilitating scourge that leaves lost potential and broken families in its wake and one that costs the Canadian economy billions in lost productivity. Many programs and initiatives have been proposed in an attempt to stem the rising tide of diabetes cases with most producing mixed results. An article on cbc.ca highlights a new initiative spearheaded by the Canadian Diabetes Association.
The Canadian Diabetes Association is calling on federal leaders to support and eventually introduce a tax on sugary drinks. The association made the announcement on Wednesday, asking all the federal parties to support a tax on any drinks sweetened with sugar because of their link to Type 2 diabetes. The group pointed to countries like France and Mexico who have already introduced a similar tax to deter people from drinking the beverages.
Few will argue that something needs to be done. Findings published by the Harvard School of Public Health show that people who drink 1 or 2 cans of soda per day increase their risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by 26% and a recent story on cnn.com draws attention to the stark reality that 180,000 deaths per year can be linked directly or indirectly to sugary drinks.
The hope is that by increasing the cost of sugary drinks young people especially will be deterred from purchasing them, or at least purchasing as many as they currently do, and develop healthier consumption habits instead. At the very least the additional revenue should help the federal government offset the increasing drag diabetes represents on the national health care system.The cbc article went on to state:
The association also called for two other initiatives: a national pharmacare program to help patients pay for their medications and expanding the disability tax credit to people with Type 1 diabetes.
That’s an interesting sentence for a couple of reasons. First, because these both seem like common sense initiatives that can help people with diabetes deal with the astronomical health care costs they often incur and second, because it highlights the fact that although the Disability Tax Credit covers individuals with Type 2 diabetes, coverage of individuals with Type 1 diabetes is incomplete, and that situation is in dire need of correction.
Extending the Disability Tax Credit: A Necessary Step
In a recent article on USNews.com Dr Derek Rapp of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation discussed the long term health issues facing his son, who suffers from Type 1 diabetes:
There’s this nagging fear of the complications that can come with the disease – blindness, kidney failure and limb amputation, to name a few… These are all very real and experienced by many people with Type 1 every year.
Facts like this point to the need for the Disability Tax Credit to extend complete coverage to Type 1 diabetics who all too often find themselves unable to hold down regular employment but must still find some way to pay the health care costs generated by their disease.
The Disability Tax Credit provides up to $40,000 in relief to persons with qualifying disabilities, including diabetes. The program has been widely hailed for its effectiveness in helping the disabled get back on their feet financially and regain their standing as important members of society.
Whether you or a family member suffers from Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes you need to know the facts regarding your eligibility for the Disability Tax Credit and how to derive the maximum benefit available to you under this important program. Many of Canada’s disabled choose not to pursue these benefits that are rightfully theirs due to the labyrinthian nature of the program’s application and approval process. Don’t let this be you.
Let Disability Credit Canada Start Helping You Today!
Call Disability Credit Canada today at 1-855-765-4458 and put one of Canada’s most effective advocates for the disabled on your side. We’ll guide you and your application through every stage of the approval process and ensure it never gets lost in someone’s inbox or rejected for some minor procedural flaw or oversight. We’ve helped thousands of eligible Canadians get the benefits that they need to restore financial sanity to their lives and we can do the same for you. Call us today!