Thanks. This is the 1st thing I had done, of course!.
Unfortunately, they operate , at least here in Quebec, with a remarkable lack of transparency, typical of the old European Borbonic administration ( if you know what I mean), i.e. that the government decides and they don't owe any explanation to the citizen, unless you go through the official lengthy channel of submitting a formal request of reconsideration ( which I am about to do).
When the Old Age Security public servant informed me by phone that they calculate, by law, the income differently from Revenue Canada, I asked him to to refer me to the specific law or regulation to this effect. He was unable to do it ( of course!), so I asked him to provide this information in their letter of refusal. When I received the official letter, naturally, this information was not there.
I then carefully read the Income Tax Act, the Income Tax Regulations, the Old Age Security Law and Regulations and I could find absolutely no provision justifying a different way of calculating income for O.A.S. purposes.
To the contrary, the Old Age Security Act O.A.S. ACT, (SECTION 13, G.I.S.). says explicitly that :
Quote FOR OAS PURPOSES, THE MEANING OF INCOME IS ACCORDING TO THE Income Tax Act. Unquote
I thought you may be interested to know this, in case somebody else asks the same question.
Thanks
Franco V.
