Canadians have five extra days to submit their tax returns after the Canada Revenue Agency extended the filing deadline to May 5, thanks to a heads-up that first came from a Sidney accountant.
Fearful that he would now have to make good on fines of 10 to 50 per cent for late filers who owed taxes, Cowland quickly emailed his MP, Elizabeth May, who was in the House of Commons at the time.
“I could see that it looked like a looming disaster,” May said.
She replied to Cowland within 15 minutes, saying she would contact the minister of National Revenue, who was someone “usually willing to help.”
When minister Kerry-Lynne Findlay appeared for question period two hours later, May sent her a note with a printout of Cowland’s email. The minister replied by note that she would be looking into “the Cowland issue.”