Ottawa, April 5, 2004... The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) announced today that, to date, 9 million people have filed their 2003 income tax return. More than 1.4 million people used NETFILE to electronically transmit their income tax return. This is an increase of 23% over last year. The increase in NETFILE use reflects an overall increase in electronic filing, with more than 4.9 million returns filed electronically-an increase of 14.9% over last year.The CRA is responding to the interest and enthusiasm that Canadians show for electronic services by investing time and resources to improve its state-of-the-art suite of electronic services, and provide a wide range of electronic filing options.Of approximately 23 million Canadians who file an income tax return, more and more are discovering that electronic filing is the fastest and easiest way to prepare and file their returns. There are fewer errors and individuals get their tax refunds in as few as eight business days, or less with direct deposit. In addition to filing a return over the Internet using NETFILE, Canadians can file their return over the telephone using TELEFILE, or they can file their return by using EFILE through the services of a professional tax preparer. To file their income tax return using NETFILE, individuals will need to use a CRA-certified software or Web-based application. Some tax software companies offer free online tax preparation services and software to Canadians with low or moderate incomes. For more information about NETFILE and a list of CRA-certified software and Web applications, please visit our Web site at www.netfile.gc.ca. 2004 filing season statisticsCumulative through the week ending April 4, 2003, and April 2, 2004 Total electronic income tax returns 2003 2004 Change Total received 4,161,728 4,890,190 + 14.9% NETFILE 1,116,624 1,453,221 + 23.1% TELEFILE 415,391 434,503 + 4.3% EFILE 2,629,713 3,002,466 + 12.4%For media information
