How the CRA will make tax information easier to access, understand, and use

What you said

You told us that you do not like busy signals when you call the CRA and that you like telephone services with call-back options. Accountants told us that they want to be able to ask us complicated tax questions on the phone. You like the Liaison Officer Initiative and want to be able to ask for the visit. You asked us to make our notices and letters easier to understand, and you want more information about employment insurance rules when you employ family members. You like Auto-fill my return when you do your personal taxes, and would like something similar for businesses. You want to be able to complete more tasks online.

"The vast majority of Canadians do everything right.”

Heard from a CRA employee

What we will do

  • Transition from our aging telephone infrastructure to the Government of Canada telephony platform and complete feasibility studies for adding call-back and secure chat line features.
  • Conduct a pilot for a new dedicated telephone service. This pilot project will let income tax return preparers call experienced CRA staff who can help with more complex technical issues.
  • Review the Pensionable insurable earnings report (PIER) and other notices and letters for businesses.
  • Expand the Liaison Officer Assistance Requests pilot program to allow businesses across Canada to request a Liaison Officer visit.
  • Clarify the Employment Insurance contribution rules for family members in our payroll guides.
  • Let corporations view the assessed value of T2 Corporation Income Tax returns and schedules and their CRA-verified capital dividend account balance in My Business Account.
  • Let business representatives file requests for authorization with commercial software.
  • Implement T2 Auto-fill through commercial software.
  • Let business owners and representatives create their own filing and balance confirmation letters online.
  • Conduct a feasibility study for a volunteer tax program that would help the smallest new businesses understand the payroll, GST/HST and other tax obligations that come with starting a business.
  • Continue to improve the clarity, language and layout of our notices and letters to make them easier to understand.

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