About 60 victims of convicted fraudster Earl Jones will receive a tax break and may be able to recoup tax money they should never have paid out in the first place.
Several of the victims said they never earned the money listed on their tax forms. Both levels of government were seeking a total of $2.2 million and some individuals have been hit with $30,000 tax bills.
It was all a misunderstanding and they won't have to pay those taxes, said Quebec Revenue Minister Robert Dutil Wednesday.
Victims of Earl Jones were initially sent a complicated letter telling them they would not receive a refund, but Dutil told ex-clients of Earl Jones to disregard those letters.
"They won't have to pay that. They were very unhappy of that, I understand that... They will obtain money from us if they have paid taxes," said Dutil.
Victims said they were worried they would have been unable to pay the tax bill now that they've lost their life savings. Former Jones client Sue Brown said it's a weight off her shoulders.
"I feel relief. I feel as though someone has finally listened to us," Brown told CTV's Rob Lurie.
"I'm glad they've reversed their desicion. I hope the federal government will do the same."
Clients say they will meet with the federal government to ensure they'll also receive a tax break from Ottawa.
Fleeced
Jones has admitted to swindling 158 investors out of $50 million over a 30-year period as part of a massive pyramid scheme.
Some people lost upwards of $1 million each after Jones spent their money or used it to pay out returns rather than investing the money as promised.
