Minister Lebouthillier announces improvements to CRA correspondence: making tax and benefit information easier to understand

News Release

February 11, 2016   Montréal, Quebec   Canada Revenue Agency

The Honourable Diane Lebouthillier, Minister of National Revenue, P.C., M.P. accompanied by Marc Miller, M.P. for Ville-Marie-Le Sud-Ouest-Île-des-Soeurs, today announced improvements to the way the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) communicates with millions of Canadians. The improvements are an early deliverable on the Government of Canada's commitment to make the CRA client-focused and more helpful to Canadians.

Starting in February 2016, the CRA will send Canadians a new, simple, easier to read Notice of Assessment (NOA), following filing of their income tax and benefit return. This will be followed in July 2016 by simplified Benefits Notices to benefit recipients, including notices related to family benefits and the GST/HST credit.

The improvements are based on a review by the CRA of international best practices, feedback from Canadians and its own external correspondence. The review focused on how the notices are designed, formatted, and written.

The re-designed NOA and Benefits Notices display the most important information on the first page, such as the results of the assessment, account summary, and what the recipient should do with the information. The content has been streamlined to include only the information most important to the taxpayer or benefit recipient, and is presented in a clear and easy to understand format. Information about additional CRA services, including online services, Direct Deposit, My Account, and help for persons with hearing or visual impairments, is now easier to find.

Quotes

"Improving how we communicate with Canadians is a part of my mandate as Minister of National Revenue. The CRA will now offer clear and easy to understand correspondence products. We will continue to consult with Canadians and draw on international best practices to make sure our service improvements truly meet their needs and deliver the best possible results."

- The Honourable Diane Lebouthillier, P.C., M.P., Minister of National Revenue

"The Government of Canada recognizes the importance of providing simple and easy to understand tax information to Canadians. Improvements to the Notice of Assessment are just one way of delivering on this commitment."

- Marc Miller, M.P., Ville-Marie-Le Sud-Ouest-Île-des-Soeurs

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New Notice of Assessment

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Comparison of old and new Notice of Assessment

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Contacts

Catherine Woods
Interim Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of National Revenue
613-995-2960

Philippe Brideau
Media Relations
Canada Revenue Agency
613-941-6269


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