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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
17-03-2025
- Business
- CBC
This free income tax clinic for low-income earners in Thunder Bay, Ont., is seeing more calls than ever
Marie Klassen says her team at the Lakehead Social Planning Council (LSPC) is receiving an unprecedented number of calls from people looking to file their income taxes. The Thunder Bay, Ont., organization has run a volunteer income tax clinic for many years, aimed at helping low-income earners in the district complete their forms for the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). While the clinic operates year-round, it's busiest between late February and mid-May. "The surge of calls is something we've never experienced before," said Klassen, executive director of the LSPC. "I would say maybe 50 per cent more than last year." The clinic helps prepare nearly 10,000 tax returns in the Thunder Bay district each year. Eligibility is based on a person's annual income and the size of their household; for example, a single person who earns $35,000 or less qualifies, as do two people in a household that earn $45,000 or less. With the rising cost of living, Klassen said the high volume of calls may be related to people's reliance on income tax benefits. "Whether [it's] GST cheques, the Ontario Trillium Benefit, they're certainly waiting for the Canada child benefit cheque — and all of that makes a difference in their lives," she said. "The sooner they're able to get it, the better it is." Information gathered through the tax clinic helps LSPC with its broader anti-poverty advocacy, particularly when it comes to determining the type of support needed for low-income earners in the community. Preventing people from 'falling through the cracks' More than 257,600 people in Ontario were helped by free tax clinics last year through the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program, according to the CRA. There are three main ways people can file their income taxes through the LSPC clinic, according to Klassen: Completing the process over the phone by calling 211 and pressing "three." Attending the clinic's walk-in Wednesdays from 9:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. Booking an appointment in advance. Those filing multiple years of taxes are encouraged to book an appointment, as these sessions tend to take longer, she added. People can also have their case workers submit information and paperwork on their behalf. The clinic team is managing the high volume of calls the best it can, said Klassen, but she encourages people to "be patient." "We will get back to you — make sure that you do get a hold of us in some way," Klassen said. "If it's not today, it might be tomorrow." The clinic is seeking more volunteers to help manage the workload, including making callbacks and helping with intake. A key priority for the team is making sure people know what kind of benefits they may qualify for, said Klassen. "A lot of seniors are coming to us that are on fixed incomes and we're paying special attention to that population, mainly because in the past, we've noticed that some seniors are just unaware of some of the benefits that they're entitled to," Klassen said. "We want to make sure that they're not falling through the cracks," she said. The CRA's deadline for most people to file their tax return and pay any amounts owing is April 30, in order to secure this year's benefits.
