Privacy Policy
Unity Financial Services TAX was founded on principles of trust, integrity and the delivery of outstanding products and services. Unity Financial Services is committed to customer satisfaction. This privacy policy sets forth the types of information we collect, how we may use or disclose that personal information, how we protect your personal information and your rights regarding your personal information.
Objective & scope of Privacy Policy
Unity Financial Services TAX is committed to providing reliable, timely, and accurate income tax returns to its customers across Canada. Consistent with the Canada Standards Act Privacy code, the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (“PIPEDA”), and other applicable law, Unity Financial Services TAX is dedicated to maintaining high standards of confidentiality with respect to the personal information it collects from its customers.
This Privacy Policy governs personal information collected from our customers for the purposes of completing and filing income tax returns. It does not cover aggregated data from which the identity of an individual cannot be determined, or information that is available from a public source, such as a telephone directory.
This Privacy Policy applies to all Unity Financial Services TAX employees and contracted employees. Using contractual or other arrangements, Unity Financial Services TAX will ensure agents, contractors and third party service providers, who may receive personal information in the course of providing services to Unity Financial Services TAX as part of Unity Financial Services TAX’s delivery of services, protect the personal information in a manner consistent with the principles set out in this Privacy Policy.
If a question arises regarding access to your personal information held by Unity Financial Services TAX, or there is a concern about the manner in which Unity Financial Services TAX collects, uses, retains and discloses your personal information as one of Unity Financial Services TAX’s clients, please contact:
Head Office: 3149 Rue des Opales, Saint-Hubert, QC Canada J4T 3T3
Branch Office: 5584 Cote de Liesse, Montreal, QC Canada H4P 1A9
Definitions
CRA is an acronym and refers to the Canada Revenue Agency.
Consent means voluntary agreement with the collection, use, retention and disclosure of information for the purposes for which Unity Financial Services TAX’s services have been retained. Express consent is obtained explicitly, in writing, from the Customer.
Collection means any and all information obtained from the Customer for the purpose of providing the income tax return preparation and filing services of Unity Financial Services TAX. Collection also means any and all information obtained about the Customer from other third party sources such as Canada Revenue Agency for the purpose of providing income tax return preparation and filing services.
Customer refers to any individual that has retained Unity Financial Services TAX’s services.
Disclosure means making available Personal Information and business information about the Customer to third party government agencies or organizations outside of Unity Financial Services TAX.
Organization is defined as a business, association, partnership, person, or trade union.
Personal Information means any information about the Customer, recorded in any form, that is identifiable to that individual either directly or by inference from the information, but does not include the name, title or address, or other information relating to the Customer’s business or place of employment.
Transfer means filing or otherwise transferring Personal Information and business information to or from a Unity Financial Services TAX location, Unity Financial Services TAX head office, or Canada Revenue Agency for the purposes consented to by the Customer.
Use means the tabulation of all information obtained from the Customer and other third party sources, as well as the preparation of all pertinent and relevant income tax and benefit reporting and filing all related and pertinent forms as required by Canada Revenue Agency (“Return”).
Collection, use & transfer of personal information
Purpose: The purpose for the collection, use and transfer of a Customer’s Personal Information by Unity Financial Services TAX, its employees, and contracted employees, is to obtain all pertinent and necessary information for the preparation and filing of the Customer’s Return as required by CRA pursuant to the Income Tax Act.
Collection: Personal Information will be collected, to the extent possible, directly from the Customer. Where Personal Information is not available from the Customer, but may be obtained from a financial institution, government agency, or other third party source, Personal Information will be collected from those sources with the customers consent. Personal Information that is collected by, and about, the Customer is limited to only that information that is required CRA and the Income Tax Act for the preparation and filing of the Customer’s Return.
Use & Transfer: Personal Information that is collected in the preparation of a Customer’s Return may be transferred to Unity Financial Services TAX’s head office or any other Unity Financial Services TAX location for final review for processing prior to electronic transfer to CRA. Personal Information is not otherwise used or disclosed to any third party organizations for any reason outside the purpose stipulated above. Any data that is aggregated for statistical or business monitoring purposes, will be rendered anonymous so as not to be identifiable to the Customer.
Consent
When a Customer signs the Information Return for Electronic Filing of an Individual’s Income Tax and Benefit Return, and signs the Customer Authorization form, the Customer consents and agrees to the following:
Accuracy
Unity Financial Services TAX endeavors to ensure that any Personal Information provided by its Customers, and in its possession, is accurate, current and complete as is necessary for the purposes for which the Personal Information is used and transferred. Upon notification by a Customer that the Personal Information collected and used by Unity Financial Services TAX requires correction or updating, Unity Financial Services TAX will endeavor to make the necessary corrections promptly. Personal Information contained in files that have been closed, or from prior year income tax returns, is not actively updated or maintained.
Retention
Unity Financial Services TAX retains Personal Information as long as Unity Financial Services TAX believes it is required to retain such information for the purpose of filing completed Returns and having such Returns available in the event that such information is required by Customer to respond to a request by CRA. After a Customer’s Return has been filed with CRA, the said Return and all Personal Information contained therein is stored at the Unity Financial Services TAX site where the Return was prepared or at Unity Financial Services TAX’s main database to enable Unity Financial Services TAX to respond to any inquiries from Customer or CRA and for no other purpose.
This information is usually stored for a period of seven years.
Security
Unity Financial Services TAX endeavors to maintain physical, procedural and technological security at its offices, head office, and information storage facilities to prevent any loss, misuse, unauthorized access, inadvertent disclosure or modification of Personal Information.
Unity Financial Services TAX further protects Personal Information by restricting access to Personal Information to those employees that have authorized access in order for Unity Financial Services TAX to provide its services to its Customers. Unity Financial Services TAX has a policy under which employee misuse of Personal Information is treated as a serious offence for which disciplinary action may be taken.
Regarding electronic transmission of Personal Information in the form of the Customer’s completed Return, there is no method of transmitting or storing data that is completely secure. Although Unity Financial Services TAX use all available technological security in the transmission of Customer’s Returns, all Internet transmissions are susceptible to possible loss, misrouting, interception and misuse.
Access to personal information
Unity Financial Services TAX permits a Customer to access and review the Personal Information it holds about the Customer upon receipt of a written request to the Chief Privacy Officer.
Where Personal Information will not or cannot be disclosed, the Customer making the request will be provided with reasons for the non-disclosure.
To protect against fraudulent requests for access, Unity Financial Services TAX will require sufficient information or proof of identification from the Customer before granting access or making corrections to the Customer’s Personal Information.
Where a request for access to a Customer’s Personal Information is granted, Unity Financial Services TAX will endeavor to provide the information in question within a reasonable time and no later than 30 days following receipt of the written request and confirmation of the Customer’s identity. Unity Financial Services TAX may charge a nominal cost to the Customer making the access request to cover photocopying or mailing costs, if necessary.
Amendment to Unity Financial Services tax privacy policy and procedure
This Privacy Policy is in effect as of June 1, 2009. Unity Financial Services TAX recognizes that legal interpretation of PIPEDA and future Provincial privacy legislation may impact its privacy policies and procedures. The Chief Privacy Officer will review and revise this Privacy Policy from time to time, and notification of any revisions will be posted on Unity Financial Services TAX’s Internet web site, as well as communicated to Unity Financial Services TAX’s locations. Privacy Policy changes will apply to the Personal Information collected from the date of posting of the revised Policy Statement to Unity Financial Services TAX’s Internet web site.
Complain process
Any concern or complaint by a Customer about a Unity Financial Services TAX location’s or employee’s management of the Customer’s Personal Information should be directed to the Chief Privacy Officer, in writing. All complaints received by the Chief Privacy Officer will be investigated promptly and the Customer will be advised of the results of the investigation. Where corrective or disciplinary action is indicated by the Chief Privacy Officer’s investigation, Unity Financial Services TAX will undertake to take such corrective and/or disciplinary action promptly.
Information entered into Unity Financial Services Website
Please note that TAX rules are constantly changing. Unity Financial Services Team continuously updates the website to stay current. Users are cautioned that some content may become irrelevant. Unity Financial Services TAX is not responsible for any changes that may occur with tax rules over time.
Unity Financial Services Tax Fundamental Commitments
Unity Financial Services TAX is a member of TFEC association. Unity Financial Services TAX abides by federal legislation, including the Personal Information Protection and Electronics Documents Act (PIPEDA), as well as comparable provincial legislation in some provinces.
Without explicit permission, Unity Financial Services TAX will not sell, publish or share Canadian tax data entrusted to us by a customer that identifies the customer or any person.
Unity Financial Services TAX has in place privacy programs and policies to safeguard the personal information of their clients
Unity Financial Services TAX protects personal information, whether stored in physical or electronic format, through appropriate security measures in accordance with law and best practices.
Unity Financial Services TAX has Appointed a senior privacy officer.
Unity Financial Services TAX implements annual employee training in privacy and security.
Unity Financial Services TAX obtains informed consent from clients before personal information can be shared with any third party.
Unity Financial Services TAX collects only personal information required for the identified purpose and limit its use to that purpose.
Unity Financial Services TAX keeps personal information of clients as accurate, complete, and up to date as possible.
Unity Financial Services TAX ensures that all tax filing software offerings are certified by CRA on an annual basis.
Unity Financial Services TAX safeguards to protect electronic systems from hacking, illegal intrusions, viruses, and phishing.
Unity Financial Services TAX grants clients the right to request access to their personal information, review its accuracy and completeness, and request corrections.
Unity Financial Services TAX includes information about their privacy policies along with contact information for their senior privacy officers on their websites.
Unity Financial Services TAX works on an ongoing basis with the CRA and RQ to ensure that online filing remains safe and secure.
Unity Financial Services TAX participates in an industry-wide Privacy and Security Committee to review these commitments, collective policies, and practices and, on an ongoing basis, work with tax administrators, government privacy and security authorities, and relevant outside experts to fine-tune industry approaches.
