From: AlanBaggett@volcanomail.com   
      
   Campobello Island man told he's dead by Canada Revenue Agency   :CRA SOTW   
      
   Peter Harwerth, 64, wasn’t expecting to be sent a posthumous bill before his   
   death   
      
   By Joseph Tunney, CBC News    
      
   As the saying goes, nothing in life is certain except death and taxes, but New   
   Brunswick resident Peter Harwerth just didn't expect to experience the former   
   while he was still alive.   
      
   The Campobello Island man learned he was considered dead after receiving a   
   letter from Canada Revenue Agency addressed to, "The Estate of the late Peter   
   Harwerth."   
      
   "Well, that was a shock," said the 64-year-old over the phone, pausing for   
   emphasis.   
      
   "I didn't understand that."   
      
   He said the tax returns his accountant sent in June showed refunds for   
   approximately $1,100 for himself and $440 for his wife.   
      
   He expected those returns but "never received any mail" after that. He was   
   then sent the letter addressed to his estate rather than him.   
      
   It was a posthumous reassessment asking for a payment of $520, he said,   
   assuming he had received the original $1,100. The letter said nothing of his   
   wife's returns.   
      
   He then called a representative at the Canada Revenue Agency to tell her the   
   money never came and that he wasn't dead.   
      
   "I asked, 'How can this letter be addressed to the estate when I'm absolutely   
   alive here?" He said.   
      
   "Well, I tell you what, she couldn't really give me any sort of good   
   explanation of that."   
      
   Cheques were cashed   
   He learned after investigating his tax account that the $1,100 cheque was   
   apparently cashed only a few days after being issued in July.   
      
   He began investigating his wife's missing returns as well, which showed her   
   cheque was also cashed a few days after being issued.   
      
   "Well it certainly hasn't been cashed by us," he said Friday. "Because the   
   mail takes at least five or six days before it would reach out here on   
   Campobello Island."   
      
   He said the idea someone cashed their cheques makes him suspicious about it   
   being isolated incidents and concerned other victims might be out there.   
      
   "I really have trouble believing it was a coincidence, that only two cheques   
   disappear, and on top of that a married couple at the same address," he said.   
      
   "What else is going on there?"   
      
   Luckily, he said, his death was limited to the Canada Revenue Agency and not   
   other parts of government.   
      
   Harwerth said the agency is sending him a copy of the cheque cashed in his   
   name so he can deny it's his signature. He'll then receive a new cheque.   
      
   CRA cites confidentiality   
   Mayya Assouad, communications manager for the Canada Revenue Agency in   
   Atlantic Canada, said, "whenever there is any indication the information we   
   have is incorrect, immediate steps are taken to correct our records."   
      
   "The CRA takes the protection of Canadians' tax information very seriously and   
   continuously reviews its procedures and processes to ensure appropriate and   
   secure handling of taxpayer information. The confidentiality provisions of the   
   Income Tax Act    
   prevent the CRA from commenting on specific cases."   
      
   She said when a taxpayer notifies the agency their cheque is lost, destroyed,   
   misplaced or stolen, "the CRA will do a verification, which may include   
   sending forms to fill out. A replacement cheque will be issued, if warranted."   
      
   For Harwerth, it's just a relief to be alive again. He says the agency has   
   promised to fix the mistake.   
      
   He said his accountant tried fixing it but found it difficult to convince   
   civil servants his client was not a collection of money and property rather   
   than a living, breathing person.   
      
   A note was eventually discovered on his file clarifying that it was a mistake.   
      
   "I hope this is a single case only," he said.   
      
   "[That it's] not the rule that Revenue Canada makes people deceased."   
      
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