OTTAWA - As the April 30 tax deadline approaches, Canadians are increasingly turning to the Internet to file their tax returns.
So far this year, more than 9.4 million returns have arrived electronically, 800,000 more than in the same period last year, says a spokeswoman for the Canada Revenue Agency.
That has boosted the number of electronic files to 60 per cent of all returns sent to date, compared with the 54 per cent who filed electronically last year, Catherine Jolicoeur said Monday.
The agency expects to receive about 24 million returns in total - paper, telephone and electronic - with only 15.6 million received so far. That means a flood of eight million more returns in the next two days.
Jolicoeur also said Canadians can expect more cash back this tax season if preliminary figures remain on track.
As of April 23, the average refund sent out was $1,400, or about $100 more than the average amount refunded last year.
The increase likely reflects federal tax changes announced last year.
"With the tax changes, it's a big boost as far as refunds," said Brenda Tobin, a spokeswoman in Ottawa for the tax-preparation firm H&R Block Ltd.
"So more people are doing their returns and want to see that money right away, so they are going online to file."
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Article online since April 28th 2008, 0:00
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