The CRA invites taxpayers to share ideas for service improvements

September 25, 2024                                                     Ottawa, Ontario                                                        Canada Revenue Agency

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) is committed to providing a high-quality service experience for taxpayers and benefit recipients. To deliver on these efforts, the CRA is launching public consultations to hear from individuals, non-professional representatives, and tax intermediaries about their experiences with CRA services.

The CRA service consultations 2024 will play an important role in further understanding the experiences of those who rely on CRA services, and identifying areas where improvements are needed. As the CRA adapts to an ever-changing environment, ensuring our services remain accessible, responsive, and tailored to the evolving needs of clients is our top priority.

How to participate

From September 25 to December 2, 2024, individuals, non-professional representatives, and tax intermediaries have the opportunity to share feedback on their experiences interacting with CRA services through an online questionnaire. The CRA will also hold both in-person and virtual consultation sessions with members of these groups by invitation, allowing for more in-depth discussions.

• Every voice matters: participate in the online questionnaire to share your feedback and help shape the future of CRA services.

To ensure the privacy of participants and that a wide range of perspectives is captured, the recruitment of participants and reporting will be managed by an independent third party.

What we hope to learn

As the world changes with new technologies and evolving trends, your expectations of government services are also shifting. The CRA is the administrator of a complex tax system and recognizes the need to be responsive to these changes to deliver services that strive to put people first. We know taxpayers and benefit recipients deserve a better service experience and we want to focus on what matters most to them. This is why we need feedback. Through these consultations, we aim to understand the specific challenges they are facing and identify areas where our services fall short of their expectations.

How feedback shapes improvements

Over the past few years, there has been a growing demand for digital-first, seamless experiences, prompting the CRA to modernize its services to enhance ease of access. Previous feedback has been pivotal in driving service improvements, and these consultations are another important step in ensuring our services address the needs of our clients. Recent key improvements include:

• Introducing a digital application for the Disability Tax Credit to streamline the process for those who rely on this essential support.
• Enhancing the CRA’s sign-in services to ensure faster and more secure access to online accounts.
• Implementing the Learn about your taxes online learning tool to help young people better understand and manage their tax obligations.
• Increasing Contact Centre hours to improve access to timely support, recognizing the challenges individuals and businesses face in reaching us, we are working to ensure they can get the help they need when they need it.
• Expanding the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program (CVITP), which helps vulnerable and lower-income populations access free tax-filing support.

While we’ve made progress, the CRA recognizes that challenges remain and there is still more work to be done. Encouraging participation in these consultations will play a key role in shaping the future of CRA programs and services, making it easier for taxpayers to understand their tax obligations and receive the benefits and credits they may be eligible for.

For more information on the consultations and to participate, visit CRA service consultations 2024.