Complaints in my office regarding the Canada Revenue Agency are overwhelming. People dealing with their income tax, the Canada Child Benefit, savings and pension plans, GST and HST, and much more often have a hard time getting through to the CRA to obtain information regarding their file.
Casework from the CRA is among the top sources of constituency-related work that many Members of Parliament offices engage in regularly. In my constituency office we have assisted many constituents in their dealings with the CRA, but many people don’t know where to turn to when they can’t get assistance and need help. This can be very frustrating and stressful.
I was pleased to learn that the CRA recently made a commitment to change the way in which it interacts with Canadians, making it easier, faster, and more secure for them to file their taxes and receive the credits and benefits to which they are entitled.
In support of its ongoing efforts to improve service, the CRA has launched public online consultations to allow Canadians across the country to provide their feedback. The consultation period will run until June 18, directly following the months during which most Canadians will have filed their income tax returns.
The purpose of the consultations is to listen and learn from Canadians, hearing not only about their past service experiences with the CRA, but also their expectations for the future. Their comments will supplement the input that the CRA receives through existing feedback channels, public opinion research, other consultations, call centres and social media, all of which are already contributing to service improvements.
The CRA must serve Canadians better. If you have ever experienced problems with the CRA, I encourage you to submit feedback regarding your experience to the online consultations so that the CRA may hear from as many people as possible. You can provide feedback at: www.canada.ca/consultations-CRA.
Thank you for taking the time to help build a better Canada.
Alistair MacGregor is the Member of Parliament for Cowichan-Malahat-Langford.
