Canada Revenue Agency Report Card
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Canada Revenue Agency Report Card
A Small Business Audit of the CRA
May 2008
Lucie Charron, Senior Economist
Doug Bruce, Director of Research
When it comes to services provided by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), small- and medium-sized business (SME) owners and tax practitioners have not seen much improvement in the past several years. Indeed, while the CRA obtained some favourable marks for its web site and electronic services, the latest CFIB survey results of 8,271 business owners and 472 tax practitioners point to an overall downward trend in CRA service quality. This trend is worrisome given the impacts that the CRA has on the SME sector and the Canadian economy.
The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) is one of the federal government’s largest agencies and it is much more than just a tax collector. It has the power to impact Canadians and businesses. Furthermore, the CRA plays a key role in setting the tone for the “taxpayer” and “business” climate of our economy.
Even though it has been close to nine years since the CRA has been in place, it is not uncommon to hear someone still refer to it by the former name—Revenue Canada. But there is much more to the CRA than a simple change in title. The rationale for transforming the former Revenue Canada to an agency was to allow for a more streamlined and effective approach to tax administration in order to provide a higher quality of service. In this role, the CRA is in a position to influence many facets of the Canadian, economy both positively and negatively. Investment behaviour, economic development and the underground economy are just a few of the many areas which the CRA has the ability to influence. Ultimately, the easier it is for taxpayers and business owners to have access to timely information and resources, the more likely they will comply with the tax system and thus render our economy more inviting.
