Thank you for your interest in filing your taxes with Gustavson’s Community Volunteer Income Tax program this year!
The safety and security of your information is a priority of our tax clinic. To ensure the privacy and security of your information in a virtual environment, we have outlined procedures and expectations that Gustavson’s Community Volunteer Income Tax Program (CVITP) will be upholding.
Your Tax Information
Below are notable CVITP Program Term that volunteers have agreed to upon registering with the CRA. Please find the full program terms list on the CRA website.
- All of your documents will be returned and will NOT be stored after the completion of your tax filing appointment
- Your returns will be transmitted to the CRA within 48hrs of preparation
- Your tax documents will be deleted no more than 48hrs after the transmission has been accepted by the CRA
- Your returns will NOT be saved on volunteer tax filers’ computer
- Your privacy will be protected by never using or divulging any information provided by the taxpayer for any purpose other than the preparation of his or her income tax and benefit return
EFILE Security Screening
Every volunteer tax filer has successfully passed the EFILE security screening. This screening aims to:
- Maintain a high level of public confidence in electronic filing
- Ensure all participants in the program adhere to high standards of conduct and integrity; and
- Evaluate the applicant’s risk as an electronic filer.
This screening provides additional security by ensuring credibility of our Gustavson tax filing volunteers. For more information pertaining to the EFILE security screening, please refer to the following CRA website here.
Digital Platforms used throughout Clinics
Gustavson’s CVITP has taken the steps in providing the most secure environment before, during, and after your appointment. Below are the privacy and security guidelines implemented throughout the clinic:
- Your volunteer tax filers will be using a password protect computer device while preparing and filing your tax returns.
- No electronic devices (e.g. google home, Alexa) will be activated throughout tax preparation appointment
- Your tax information will never be left unattended by tax filer volunteers
- The CVITP tax filing software (UFILE) will use Windows 10 OS. This version of window’s operation system provides a more secure platform when collecting and utilizing tax filing software compared to previous versions
- A secure, non-shared network will be used while preparing and filing taxes
- UVic VPN will be used while preparing and filing taxes to ensure security of network