From everyday business to research on other planets, the goal is always the same

As a Liaison Officer (LO) with the CRA, Michael is used to helping all kinds of businesses and entrepreneurs. He deals with many traditional businesses, but also is used to dealing with the curveballs that are thrown his way by new, emerging businesses.

“I had one guy tell me he was doing research on the dirt on Mars for agriculture and subsurface investigations, to help in the future exploration of Mars” Michael laughs. “He had questions on the tax implications – I learned quickly that if you don’t have the answers it’s ok to tell them I don’t know but I’ll find out or I’ll direct you to someone who does.”

From everyday business inquiries to research on other planets, Michael’s goal is always the same: to help businesses.

The Liaison Officer service supports small businesses and self-employed individuals by helping them to accurately file their returns for income tax, as well as GST/HST. They also help business owners avoid and correct the most common errors. Through this program, officers provide tools, information, and support to help businesses manage their tax matters correctly from the start.

With all kinds of people reaching out through the LO service, Michael interacts with a wide range of businesses, from young and inexperienced people looking to start their first venture, to experienced entrepreneurs who already own a few corporations.

“The first question I ask is – ‘can you tell me what you do?’ Part of the challenge in this role is figuring out who they are and what they need to know,” he says. “I try to make a personal connection so I can figure out the best way to help them. New people to Canada or people just starting out may not know what the word ‘depreciation’ means. Others may have complicated questions. No matter what help they need I meet them where they are and we go from there.”

As COVID-19 created a wave of new challenges for businesses across Canada, different businesses began to emerge and many began expanding online. And now businesses continue to face challenges such as natural disasters and worker shortages. During all this, unfamiliar terms such as "cryptocurrency" and "NFTs" begin to arise.

“I didn’t know much about things like cryptocurrency when I was first asked about that,” says Michael. “I research different topics as they come up – everything I learn helps me with questions I get later. And I try to help with things that businesses don’t know about. For example, […] I had another person doing some cool things with marine engines – I referred them to our Scientific Research and Experimental Development program. Often businesses don’t know about our different programs and they are so grateful to hear about them.”

Michael always tries to go the extra mile. He believes that by promoting different resources, businesses are more likely to claim the benefits they are entitled to.

“Sometimes I lose them, and I know it. So I start from scratch,” says Michael. “And if I don’t know the answer, I’m honest and tell them that.” Understanding that each person or business should not be treated the same, he always works to find the best possible solution for the person he’s speaking with.

Ever since starting with the LO program 4 years ago, Michael looks forward to each day. “The best part about my job is feeling like I’ve helped someone at the end of the day. I love learning new things and teaching others about them too!”.