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Printer glitch holds up $500 affordability cheques

Harpauer: No "perfect database"
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More cheques are still to be mailed out.

REGINA — Finance Minister Donna Harpauer said Tuesday most of the remaining $500 affordability tax credit cheques promised will be sent in the next week to 10 days. She added, however, there may be more of a lag for late income tax filers.

During her mid-year financial update, Harpauer said a number of $500 cheques being mailed to Saskatchewan residents 18 years of age and older have still to go out. 

“I heard there was a bit of a printer glitch because of the volume of cheques but I’m assuming we’ve got that fixed,” she said.

About 825,000 cheques are to be eventually distributed, based on income tax filings for 2021.

There has been a bit of a controversy in recent days, with reports that deceased people have also been receiving $500 cheques. 

Harpauer explained there was “no perfect database” they could use, and decided the tax roll was the most current they could use. The issue has mainly arisen with those who passed away after March 2022. If someone filed their return prior to March 2022 and then passed away, “we have no way of knowing that," Harpauer said.

The cheques were to go out to anyone 18 or older who had filed their 2021 taxes by the end of October.