Latest news with #Boileau
Global News
8 hours ago
- Business
- Global News
The CRA needs to give Canadians ‘relevant, clear' information: watchdog
The Canada Revenue Agency needs to do a better job at making sure the information it gives Canadian tax filers is 'relevant, clear, concise and easy to find,' a new watchdog report says. That comes after Canadian taxpayers filing with the agency have reported various issues over the most recent tax season, and after years of ongoing reports probing service times and ways to improve how the tax agency interacts with Canadians. The fifth and final annual report by Canada's Taxpayers' Ombudsperson François Boileau was tabled Friday in the House of Commons, and focused on the period between April 1 of last year, to March 31 of 2025. Boileau's five-year mandate is scheduled to conclude in 2025. The ombudsperson made a total of 16 recommendations over the course of the last fiscal year in two previous reports, of which the CRA has accepted 13. Story continues below advertisement 5:19 With tax deadline approaching, how to ensure you get the most from your return Of the recommendations, the ombudsperson says the CRA should 'perform a comprehensive review of its content on adding that the architecture and content it provides on the website for visitors contained 'redundant information.' Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy It also needs to provide information that is more 'relevant, clear, concise and easy to find,' the report said. Some of the most common issues reported by taxpayers as a 'trend' by the ombudsperson included the CRA's call centres. The report details how many taxpayers were unable to reach an agent at the CRA for help due to long wait times or disconnections. In cases when they could get through, some taxpayers reported being provided with information that was 'incomplete, inaccurate, or unclear.' The CRA has been cutting staff throughout the past year as it looks to lower its operating costs, with the agency adding in the most recent round of cuts that 'it is likely that some internal services will be impacted, with some services being eliminated entirely.' Story continues below advertisement Another common complaint the Ombudsperson highlighted in the report focused on how the CRA, when collecting taxes, needs to better take into account the potential 'financial hardships' that may result for Canadians with certain 'personal circumstances,' the report said. In closing his presentation in the House of Commons, Boileau said he was 'aware' of the CRA's cost-cutting measures, which involve shedding some jobs, and that the Office of the Ombudsperson would continue to monitor the situation closely.
Cision Canada
10 hours ago
- Business
- Cision Canada
Taxpayers' Ombudsperson releases his fifth and final annual report Français
OTTAWA, ON, June 20, 2025 /CNW/ - Canada's Taxpayers' Ombudsperson, Mr. François Boileau, has released his annual report, Clearing the Path, which was tabled today in the House of Commons. The report provides an overview of the activities of the Office of the Taxpayers' Ombudsperson (OTO) between April 1, 2024, and March 31, 2025. The report details how the OTO influenced service improvements at the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) by reviewing service issues and complaints. It also includes two recommendations to the Minister of Finance and National Revenue and the Chair of the CRA's Board of Management to improve the CRA's service to Canadians. During the last fiscal year, the OTO released two systemic examination reports: Unintended Consequences, about the CRA's administration of the 2023 bare trust filing requirements, and Timing Is Everything, about issues that may be causing delays in Canada child benefit (CCB) payments for temporary residents. Between these two reports, we made 16 recommendations, and the CRA accepted 13 of them. As this is the final year of Mr. Boileau's five-year mandate, the annual report also includes a chapter about his views on improving the CRA's services for vulnerable and hard–to-reach populations. This chapter analyzes the CRA's efforts to make sure these populations get the benefits and credits they are entitled to. It looks at the CRA's existing programs, including the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program, the Income Tax Assistance – Volunteer Program (in Quebec) and SimpleFile, and discusses how they could be improved to better meet Canadians' needs. 2024–2025 report highlights: The Taxpayers' Ombudsperson recommends: (…) that the CRA perform a comprehensive review of its content on including its web page architecture and content, to remove redundant information and to make sure the information it provides is relevant, clear, concise and easy to find. It should complete this review by spring 2026 and start implementing changes by fall 2026. (…) that the CRA provide a permanently funded grant program for organizations participating in the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program and the Income Tax Assistance – Volunteer Program to support their free tax clinics for eligible taxpayers and help them offset their operating costs. Trends in complaints Contact centres: The top trend relates to issues with the information provided by contact centre agents. Many taxpayers who were able to reach the CRA's contact centres claimed that agents provided them with incomplete, inaccurate, or unclear information, while others were unable to even reach an agent because the wait times were too long or they could not get into the queue. Income tax and benefit return processing and adjustments: Many complainants claimed that there were delays in processing returns beyond the CRA's published service standard; however, it is important to note that the CRA's service standard applies to returns received on or before filing due dates. As well, the standard excludes returns filed for deceased, bankruptcy, international and non-resident individuals as well as emigrants. It also does not apply in situations where returns are filed for multiple tax years or when the CRA has to contact the taxpayers for more information. Collection action: These complaints claimed the CRA did not consider the taxpayer's personal circumstances when taking collection action, and in some cases the taxpayer claimed that the collection action put them in financial hardship. CCB: Many complainants said that the CRA's review of their eligibility for the CCB put a burden on them. The CRA told them that the information they provided was not sufficient, even if they provided most of what was requested. They claimed that the CRA did not clearly inform them why what they provided was not sufficient and why additional documents were required. The CRA's Service Feedback Program: These complainants said that the CRA's Service Feedback Program did not respond to their complaint within its published service standard. Background information The Office of the Taxpayers' Ombudsperson works independently from the CRA. Canadians can submit complaints to the Office if they feel they are not receiving the appropriate service from the CRA. Our main objective is to improve the service the CRA provides to taxpayers and benefit recipients by reviewing individual service complaints and service issues that affect more than one person or a segment of the population. The Taxpayers' Ombudsperson assists, advises and informs the Minister of Finance and National Revenue about matters relating to services provided by the CRA. The Ombudsperson ensures, in particular, that the CRA respects eight of the service rights outlined in the Taxpayer Bill of Rights. Quote "I am especially proud of the work we have done to improve the CRA's services for the most vulnerable. The dual nature of the CRA's work is not well known, aside from its role as tax collector. The second, lesser-known role is to administer benefit and credit programs that can be crucially important to a large segment of the Canadian population. However, when the most vulnerable do not file, they will not receive what they're entitled to, which has a profound effect on not only them, but also our society as a whole." Links Follow Us Follow us on X: @OTO_Canada Like us on Facebook: @TaxpayersOmbudsperson Subscribe to our electronic mailing list Add our RSS feed to your feed reader Visit our website SOURCE Office of the Taxpayers' Ombudsperson
CBC
05-03-2025
- Business
- CBC
Bare trust filing fiasco led to 'wasted time and effort': CRA watchdog
A last-minute decision to exempt new bare trust filing requirements led to "wasted time and effort," according to a new report from the office of Taxpayers' Ombudsperson François Boileau. The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) didn't provide timely information to allow taxpayers and tax professionals to prepare for the new filing requirements and what was provided was less than ideal, the 80-page report suggests. Boileau launched an investigation into the bare trust filing last summer after hearing multiple complaints about the CRA's 11th-hour decision to exempt bare trusts from trust filing requirements that took effect for the 2023 tax year. A bare trust relationship is one where a person, known as a trustee, has legal ownership of a property or asset but doesn't hold beneficial ownership. In such a relationship, a "trustee can take no action without instructions from that beneficiary and the trustee's only function is to hold legal title to the property," according to the government's definition. Unlike express trusts, where people seek out a lawyer to create a trust, bare trusts can happen almost accidentally — when a parent cosigns a mortgage for a child and becomes partial owner, or when an aging parent lists their children on a bank account to help pay the bills. Taxpayers with a bare trust were told they had to file their forms by April 2, 2024. But with just days to go before that deadline, the CRA announced it would be pausing the requirement due to an "unintended impact on Canadians." Boileau's report said that while the decision to make bare trusts exempt came was the "right one" but that it came "extremely late." "One thing that remains unclear is why the CRA took so long to consider an exemption," the report reads. It points out that the tax agency had announced in November of 2023 that it wouldn't enforce penalties for late filers except in extreme cases. "The justification provided to senior CRA executives for the penalty relief did not appear to differ greatly from what was provided for the filing exemption," the report says. More than 40,000 Canadians filed the T3 tax form despite the 11th-hour pause last year. Many had paid pricey tax-filing fees to complete their forms before the exemption was announced. "The bare trust exemption meant that all of the bare trusts who had already filed did so for no reason, and in many cases at great expense," Boileau's report reads. "Taxpayers and representatives should not have been left to spend months trying to understand the legislation when the CRA ultimately exempted bare trusts from the filing requirements. All of this was wasted time and effort." The report notes that many taxpayers argued that they should be compensated for fees they had paid to file their forms. "The CRA can only work within the framework of the law, and the law does not allow it to compensate taxpayers in this regard," the report says. Lack of 'clear and timely information' The report also raised concerns with how the new rules were communicated to taxpayers. "The CRA did not provide clear and timely information when it could have," the report reads. The tax agency released a list of "frequently asked questions" on its website in December 2023. The report criticized this as an "outdated" way of communicating the information. It also said the information came too late, as tax professionals usually begin preparations for the upcoming tax season in the fall. The report also noted that the CRA seemed to be aware that they hadn't released enough information on bare trusts. "In November 2023, when CRA officials briefed their senior management, they indicated that the 'CRA communication has never included information for bare trusts'" the report says. The new rules were meant to target money laundering, terrorist financing and tax avoidance. But a number of Canadians who had rather simple bare trust relationships found themselves scrambling to file the forms. Taxpayers might not have been aware that they were even a part of a bare trust, which the CRA itself acknowledged according to Boileau's report. The tax agency made efforts to help clarify what a bare trust is and if taxpayers fell under the new filing rules. But those efforts were lacking, the report says. One of the examples the CRA publicly cited as a "common" bare trust involved property developers. Boileau's report said this example "may not be helpful to some Canadians, as many affected taxpayers are not property developers." Other examples were circulated within the tax agency but never shared with the public. "The CRA provided examples internally to its officials and employees of what a bare trust is, but did not do so for taxpayers," the report reads. The report says the CRA didn't want to provide more examples to the public to avoid "inappropriately" providing legal advice. But the report says making "relatable" examples public could have been helpful for taxpayers. The report criticized a push to advertise the changes on social media for not adequately promoting awareness of the issue. It also found that the CRA's trust filing webpage was set to be updated, but that the target date to publish would have been after the filing deadline. "Taxpayers and representatives should not be left by themselves to figure things out. The CRA needs to communicate better, faster and more effectively," the report reads. Administration of new requirements 'burdensome' on CRA The report suggests that much of the issues arose from how the legislation that introduced the new rules — which were passed in December 2022 — was worded. The CRA isn't responsible for drafting legislation, but it does consult with the Department of Finance when tax changes are in the works. Any consultations between the two government agencies are confidential. Boileau's report acknowledges that the CRA was tasked with "administering legislation that was burdensome," largely due to broad wording of the law. There is no legal definition of a bare trust in the Income Tax Act and the legislation that introduced the trust filing rules had a fairly open-ended definition of the concept, the report said. "The broad and complex nature of the legislation on bare trusts made the requirements difficult to administer while ensuring compliance. As a result, the CRA had a limited ability to provide sufficient guidance to taxpayers," the report reads. In October, the CRA announced another exemption for bare trust filings for this coming tax season. The Finance Department announced further consultations to clarify the trust filing rules this past summer.
CBC
28-01-2025
- Health
- CBC
Timmins left out from Ontario's latest announcement on Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment hubs
Social Sharing Timmins was not among the 18 Ontario communities named to get funding from the province for Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) hubs on Monday. The hubs will offer drug treatment and recovery services, along with on-site referral to shelter and transitional housing services. But they won't have supervised consumption services, and won't be a place where people can access a safe drug supply. Timmins Mayor Michelle Boileau told CBC News she was disappointed to be left out. "I believe that there's still a great need in Timmins for more mental health and addiction treatment capacity," she said. "So of course, I was disappointed that Timmins wasn't included in this realm of announcements knowing that there are gaps in our current service continuum in Timmins." According to data from the Office of the Chief Coroner for Ontario and local health units, communities in northern Ontario, including Timmins, continue to have opioid-related mortality rates around twice as high as the provincial average. The Porcupine Health Unit, which includes Timmins, had 31 suspected opioid-related deaths in 2022, and 51 the next year. The health unit area also covers a large portion of northeastern Ontario as far north as Moosonee, and was was the only region in the northeast to see an increase in opioid-related deaths in 2023. Several organizations in Timmins banded together last year to purchase the former Ramada Inn hotel, with plans to host a new wellness centre and health hub for people recovering from addiction. The organizations – including the Cochrane District Services Board (CDSB), the Mushkegowuk Council, Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) and Timmins and District Hospital – asked the provincial government for $4.4 million in annual funding to support the facility's operations. Even if the building can't host a HART hub, Boileau said it will still fill a need by providing supportive housing. She added that she will continue to be in contact with the province to see if there's a way to secure more mental health and addictions funding, and possibly a HART hub in the future. "Quite honestly, we need more resources," she said. "And I would say that we'll be working with the service providers that are on the ground that are best positioned to identify where those service gaps are and what some of the solutions could be in addressing the needs of the people that are living here in our region. So I would hope that, you know, this is just part of what will be a continued conversation with the provincial government as to what is needed to help those who are most vulnerable in their communities."
