CRA could face battles collecting CERB repayments: lawyer [Video]

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) may face some hurdles in collecting the money loaned through COVID-19 pandemic relief programs, like the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB), according to a tax lawyer.

The CRA announced last month that it would start issuing legal warnings and potentially take steps to recover overpayments of all COVID-19 programs, including CERB.

After ruling many people ineligible for these payments, the tax agency seeks to regain the money — a total of about $9.53 billion.

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“If you divide $9.5 billion by $20,000 or whatever people have received in overpayment, it’s a lot of people,” Dale Barrett said in an interview with CTV Your Morning on Tuesday. Of that $9.53 billion sum, the CRA seeks to collect $5.41 billion from CERB overpayments alone.

Barrett noted several Canadians who received these pandemic relief payments have left the country and aren’t set to return.

“We hear …