Ottawa paid $ 26 million into bad bank accounts

According to figures submitted to the House of Commons, the federal government mistakenly paid nearly $ 26 million into bank accounts last year.

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In total, 22,170 direct deposits, registered as “misleading electronic payments”, were sent to bad accounts by the government in period 1^Is From April 2020 to March 31, 2021.

Such a large number is nothing new for an extraordinary year marked by the COVID-19 pandemic and special assistance to individuals through specialized programs such as PCU or PCRE.

Of the $ 25.9 million mispaid, Ottawa said it was able to recover $ 7.1 million and was expected to collect about $ 8.6 million.

However, Ottawa estimates that misappropriated payments could exceed $ 10 million, which may not be refundable.

It should be noted that these 22,170 direct deposits are not necessarily fraudulent, but have common administrative shortcomings.

Tax evasion and fraudulent tax refunds cost the Treasury more than $ 37 million in fiscal year 1^Is From April 2020 to March 31, 2021.

The 32 cases included during this period are currently pending in the courts for $ 25.4 million due to lawsuits initiated by the Canada Revenue Agency.

At the same time, however, the 57 cases settled in court allowed the government to recover a substantial portion of the lost money: $ 1.2 million had already been recovered, although the losses from all of these cases had been established at nearly $ 12 million. , And must recover $ 9.2 million over the next fiscal year.