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Lyme and your dear Canadian Income Tax people

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Posted 3/31/2018 6:27 AM (GMT 0)
Our Canadian Revenue Agency (similar to IRS) did an audit of my tax returns and for the year 2015 and 2016 they decided to disallow my claim of $24,000 for the year 2015 and my claim of $27,000 for the year 2016. They asked me to provide them with all of the medical bills. I photocopied over 100 pages of receipts and i mailed it to them on December 14 of last year. The bills were all from my naturopath. They included the examination and some procedures but they did not include any of the supplements that i purchased directly from the naturopath. For the last 3 months they have been writing me letters that they did not receive my package of bills and they were therefore charging me an extra $13,000 to pay as income tax to cover the not submitted receipts. Their computers started sending me nasty letters. I got hold of my Member of Parliament (similar to congressman) and i had him look into this matter. He did not do much except their nasty letters were fewer now.

A week ago, i got my crap together then and did the photocopy job again thinking they will never find the first mailings. I took these packages to the post office and i paid another $25 to send these replacemets to the government. Then i went to my post office box to pick up my mail for the day. Lo and behold, they had found my receipts and in reading their ruling, they only allowed me a total of $23,000 deductions for those 2 years.

I guess that buying supplements directly from my naturopath does not qualify these to be real tax deductilbe. Buying those supplements is a frivolous thing like taking a vacation to Hawaii or similar. It took them over 3 months to find those docs and then they did not bother telling me that they have them and they just sent their ruling. They wasted one whole day of my time and i had to stand in front of my printer copying all those bills for over 3 hours. Standing doing this work really irritated my shot knee so by the end of this session my knee pain was unbareable and i was really limited in any walking for the next 3 days. It is now several days later and I am still very irate at this situation.

The government here does not recognize most of the expenses in fighting lyme and it taxes you. Canada boasts that our medicare covers everything but it does not cover lyme and co other than 6 weeks of antibiotics. After that you are on your own. If you squawk to any polititian, you get ignored because our Canadian Doctors association is in the hands of big Pharmacy and they do not want to recognize anything or anyone fighting this disease.

Nest week i have a meeting with that Member of Parliament but all I expect is his ear for a half hour and then he will forget everything I tell him. Sigh this is reality of fighting lyme in canada. xfmlg
Posted 3/31/2018 7:23 AM (GMT 0)
That irritates me even more than an article on Lyme Disease that I was reading on the Science-Based Medicine website, earlier.

I'm really sorry to hear that crappy news, xfmlg. I'm really impressed by your amazing record-keeping. I've not submitted any claims to the IRS for any of the money I've spent (>$25k USD), as I just didn't want to deal with the headache. But, you were smart and right to do so.

And, the CRA not acknowledging their receiving the mountain of paperwork you sent them -- forcing you to waste several hours on your feet to repeat everything AND spend even more money -- just shows their lack of concern.

While I would never wish any sort of illness on anyone, I have to wonder what would happen if officials in the CRA/IRS, Parliament/Congress, CDC, Infectious Diseases, etc. either had to deal with a chronic illness themselves or watch a family member suffer with one. Would things change for the rest of us?

Maybe bring a copy of "Under Our Skin" on DVD to your Member of Parliament. People who aren't affected don't "get it." Unfortunately, they have to see people suffer for it to register.

Don't give-up, xfmlg!
Posted 4/2/2018 2:46 AM (GMT 0)
Yeah what a load of crap.

Dude, have you read the other Lyme articles (science based medicine) there and the comments that some of these doctors make? there are about 8 in total plus hundreds of fascinating comments

It is totally amazing and horrible.

I think it should be required reading for all members here. It is the best exposition I have found on how mainstream doctors justify not treating ill people.

I used to think - "oh the doctors probably just don't read the science or realize what is going on or where the guidelines come from". If you read through the comments sections of these articles, you will see many doctors that do know the back story and some of the science and still turn patients away because of the IDSA guidlines.

Sorry for the quasi-off topic comments xfmlg, but at the end of the day, this is what we are all up against. If the CDC would recommend ILADS guidelines, many of these tangental issues would be solved.
Posted 4/2/2018 3:37 AM (GMT 0)
In the US, when personal health expenses reach a certain expense of your income, then it knocks down our national tax income tax........or increases your tax refund (all depending how much you pay throughout the year).

After "Obama Care" was changed, this personal expense percentage was increased. It was never that much but did make a difference and I did get back some money. I kept records of everything every year with totals.

NOTE: In the US, non-Rx supplements are not medicine, but "food items" and no percentage of these are tax deductible either. Only Rx is tax deductible once it reaches that certain percent of your income.

We don't want supplements Rx'ed- then we cant afford them or self treat. We save thousands by self treating in the long run. Without self treating, many still working would not be able to do so.
Posted 4/2/2018 4:29 AM (GMT 0)

astroman said...
In the US, when personal health expenses reach a certain expense of your income, then it knocks down our national tax income tax........or increases your tax refund (all depending how much you pay throughout the year).

After "Obama Care" was changed, this personal expense percentage was increased. It was never that much but did make a difference and I did get back some money. I kept records of everything every year with totals.

NOTE: In the US, non-Rx supplements are not medicine, but "food items" and no percentage of these are tax deductible either. Only Rx is tax deductible once it reaches that certain percent of your income.

We don't want supplements Rx'ed- then we cant afford them or self treat. We save thousands by self treating in the long run. Without self treating, many still working would not be able to do so.

I didn’t have enough in 2015 to claim last year so I am adding them to 2016’s when I file this year.
Expenses incurred travelling to medical appts can be claimed as well.
I’ve got a stack of ND, Physio and chiro visits (the 20 % that our insurance doesn’t pay) to claim as well.
I also add up the little “bits” of the medication prescriptions.

Buying gluten free food can be claimed but I think you have to claim the difference in price between the gf vs regular item - they make you work for it.
Posted 4/2/2018 5:55 AM (GMT 0)

Missouri said...
Yeah what a load of crap.

Dude, have you read the other Lyme articles (science based medicine) there and the comments that some of these doctors make? there are about 8 in total plus hundreds of fascinating comments

It is totally amazing and horrible.

I think it should be required reading for all members here. It is the best exposition I have found on how mainstream doctors justify not treating ill people.

I used to think - "oh the doctors probably just don't read the science or realize what is going on or where the guidelines come from". If you read through the comments sections of these articles, you will see many doctors that do know the back story and some of the science and still turn patients away because of the IDSA guidelines.

Sorry for the quasi-off topic comments xfmlg, but at the end of the day, this is what we are all up against. If the CDC would recommend ILADS guidelines, many of these tangential issues would be solved.

Hey, Missouri:

I've read a couple of articles on that site, though not in their entirety. I get so irritated reading them that I have to stop. I probably read more of the comments and agree they can be both enlightening and frightening.

Usually, I try to "live-and-let-live." But, man, some of their articles really grind my gears. It seems if a treatment isn't drugs, surgery, or radiation, those yo-yos will not accept it. They seem content to let someone suffer, rather than try some "alternative" method that hasn't been blessed by the AMA and the FDA.

Mostly, I find them to be a bunch of smug pseudo-intellectuals.

Gee whiz, I could use a shot of Pepto-Bismol...
Posted 4/4/2018 5:14 PM (GMT 0)
Yesterday, in my mail, I received a letter from our dear tax people that as a result of this reassessment of my taxes, that limiting of my expense claim to $24,000 means that as of today, i owe another $12,000 to my dear tax department for the extravangance of trying to cure myself with supplements. There is no appeal of this as a simple tax payer. I will see my member of Parliament next week but all i expect is getting sympathy for my predicament. He will hear me out and he will be very patronizing. He will be hoping that his party will still get my vote in the next election about a year from now. Not. That meeting will be an effort in futility.... but if there are enough of such meetings in the land, a critical mass will occur in the future and hopefully there will be some change coming. xfmlg
Posted 4/5/2018 2:54 AM (GMT 0)
This afternoon, i went to my bank and pretty well emptied my savings account to pay these tax bills. I refuse to let this issue affect me in an adverse way. Now that the tax bill is somehow paid, it will take a bit of scrimping and saving to top up my savings so that i can live into my old age without worry. That is always a concern. Where will my income come from when there could be two decades of life left in me to live. How long should i continue trying to make a living wage. Here in Canada, my pension amounts to $1,350 per month. The reason it is so small is that i was in business for myself and very often i was in a position of living from self- paycheck to paycheck without putting any money aside for retirement. Life is not easy and i never asked for govt help. I will not ask now either. I sure will give that member of Parliament a piece of mind as to how the govt treats lyme suffers. How do i organize other suffers to take likewise action with our politicians so that they can be persuaded to act in the interest of illness suffering people instead of the medical and pharmaceutical monopolies that currently are in the health power structure. xfmlg
Posted 4/5/2018 3:04 AM (GMT 0)
xfmlg - I'm sorry for all that you've been experiencing...it's crazy that those of us with lyme have no support...medically, financially, spiritually.


I haven't heard anything lately about the new Federal framework for Lyme and if there has been change since the advocates went to Ottawa for meetings.

/www.change.org/p/minister-petitpas-taylor-ticking-lyme-bomb-in-canada-fix-canada-s-lyme-action-plan-now/u/20202455
Posted 4/5/2018 1:56 PM (GMT 0)

xfmlg said...
This afternoon, i went to my bank and pretty well emptied my savings account to pay these tax bills. I refuse to let this issue affect me in an adverse way. Now that the tax bill is somehow paid, it will take a bit of scrimping and saving to top up my savings so that i can live into my old age without worry. That is always a concern. Where will my income come from when there could be two decades of life left in me to live. How long should i continue trying to make a living wage. Here in Canada, my pension amounts to $1,350 per month. The reason it is so small is that i was in business for myself and very often i was in a position of living from self- paycheck to paycheck without putting any money aside for retirement. Life is not easy and i never asked for govt help. I will not ask now either. I sure will give that member of Parliament a piece of mind as to how the govt treats lyme suffers. How do i organize other suffers to take likewise action with our politicians so that they can be persuaded to act in the interest of illness suffering people instead of the medical and pharmaceutical monopolies that currently are in the health power structure. xfmlg

In my opinion the main roadblock that prevents all of these issues from being solved is the IDSA and all of their publications that say diagnosis requires CDC positive serology and 28 days of treatment always cures every patient.

If insurance comapnies, gov't officials, tax collectors, did not have all of the IDSA garbage to fall back on in court; then we could move forward.

As long as IDSA and CDC and NIH are colluding and supporting their Lyme "story", I fear we will be stuck.

We need randomized controlled trials showing long term antibiotic treatment benefits the patients. Or in your case supplements. We need science showing that serology is not always positive. We already have a lot of that, but those studies were not looking at untreated late infection. That one is a catch 22. How can they tell if study participants are carrying late Lyme? We need advances in PCR and/or microscopy to make headway.

Or, I keep hoping we get lucky and see Canada, France, or Australia create their own guidelines and stir up an open debate on a global platform.

But it all starts with the science. The facts.
Posted 4/5/2018 2:10 PM (GMT 0)
"Or, I keep hoping we get lucky and see Canada, France, or Australia create their own guidelines and stir up an open debate on a global platform."

That would be awesome, but so far aren't they just following US - CDC ?
Posted 4/5/2018 2:46 PM (GMT 0)
yep sad. Oh yeah I forgot. The UK falls into that boat too.
Posted 4/5/2018 7:00 PM (GMT 0)
Yup. The canadian feds here are folllowing the usa and big pharma on this one to the tee. So 28 days of antibiotics should cure it with me. I figure i got my lime from my dear mom when i was born 74 years ago. That was the time in 1943 to give me those 28 days of antibiotics when the allied bombs were falling on the austrian - Vienna - when i was born. Its called foresight.

The problem is here today and tomorrow and our politicians have their heads stuck in the sand or even where the sun does not shine.
Posted 4/5/2018 7:17 PM (GMT 0)
xfmlg,

I'm sorry for that lousy deal. Would the Canadian Revenue Agency have allowed you to make interest-free payments on the $12,000? I'm guessing not. It's after the fact, anyway.

Pensioners have already given so much for so long. This is just adding insult to injury. I'm sorry, friend.

Sincerely,
The Dude
Posted 4/5/2018 7:37 PM (GMT 0)

astroman said...
"Or, I keep hoping we get lucky and see Canada, France, or Australia create their own guidelines and stir up an open debate on a global platform."

That would be awesome, but so far aren't they just following US - CDC ?


No, they're not really following anything:

The CanLyme links to the Dutch Guidelines (which are very old/out of date)

But the Docs don't go to the CanLyme site. Here's what they say:

1) The test is negative..you don't have lyme disease . It's rare here anyway.


2) If the test is positive:

"Here's a week of antibiotics"

or: "You've had symptoms for that long? Well, it can't be lyme because you're IgM positive...which indicates a recent infection.



Unless, of course you're lucky and you have my GP who accepted my Igenex test result.
Posted 4/12/2018 5:53 AM (GMT 0)
Yesterday, I met with my Member of Parliament and presented my sad story of the denial of my tax claim for expenses re supplements. The and his assistant told me that they would take on the Tax department to see if they could claw some of this money back to me. They did not make any promises and only time will tell if they made any headway. In the meantime to keep the tax man at bay, i did pay them $12,000 as they requested. I will wait and see what happens. I do not expect anything at all. Sigh.
Posted 4/12/2018 1:34 PM (GMT 0)
That really sucks!!!! We have more of the same here in the states. It makes me even sicker to know that the many billionaires we have here pay a much lower percentage of taxes than the people struggling in the lower third tax bracket. It's so ridiculous.
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