Minister Lebouthillier announces improvements at the CRA to better serve small and medium businesses

News Release

June 27 2017             Québec             Canada Revenue Agency

The Government of Canada is committed to ensuring tax fairness for all Canadians, and recognizes the importance of small and medium businesses in creating jobs and growing the economy. This is why it made a commitment to overhaul its service model so that people who interact with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) feel like valued clients, not just taxpayers.

Today, the Honourable Diane Lebouthillier, Minister of National Revenue, unveiled the CRA’s actions for the next two years to make its services for small and medium businesses more helpful and easier to use. The Report on the Canada Revenue Agency’s 2016 Serving You Better consultations with small and medium businesses contains concrete commitments based on feedback shared by small and medium businesses and chartered professional accountants in fall 2016.

The CRA’s 2017-2019 Serving You Better action plan contains over 50 action items that will improve services for small and medium businesses. Here are the top ten service improvements for businesses. They will allow businesses to do the following: 

  1. receive a CRA security code by email
  2. call a new dedicated telephone service for tax preparers that helps with more complex technical issues
  3. request a Liaison Officer visit
  4. provide T4 information slips to their employees in electronic format (certain conditions apply)
  5. use T2 Auto-fill through commercial software
  6. create their own filing and balance confirmation letters online
  7. view short "how-to" videos that explain the services on My Business Account
  8. experience telephone service improvements from CRA
  9. share feedback about their audit experience in a new post-audit survey
  10. have their objections resolved faster 

To find out more about the CRA’s action plans to serve small and medium businesses, go to canada.ca/cra-serving-you-better .

Quotes

"As a small business owner, I know how demanding and sometimes even challenging it is to run a successful business. As Minister of National Revenue, I am committed to improving the CRA’s service model and making it more client-focused to ensure tax fairness for all Canadians. This action plan is an important step in our government’s efforts to humanize the services offered by the CRA for small and medium businesses."

- The Honourable Diane Lebouthillier, Minister of National Revenue

"Business owners join their local chambers of commerce all across Canada because they know it will help their businesses thrive and grow. Our members also know that by helping the CRA better understand the tax issues they face, they are helping to hone their competitive edge. The Canadian Chamber of Commerce is pleased to add the 2016 Serving You Better consultations to our list of productive partnerships with the CRA, and we look forward to continuing the work with the agency on behalf of businesses of all sizes."

- The Honourable Perrin Beatty, President and CEO, Canadian Chamber of Commerce

"The Serving You Better roundtables provided an effective avenue for our members to share important feedback with the CRA relating to their services."

- Gabe Hayos, FCPA, FCA, Vice-President, Taxation, CPA Canada

Quick Facts

  • During the 2016 Serving You Better Consultations, approximately 300 participants met face-to-face with CRA senior officials, and approximately 135 sent their views online or in writing. The CRA received over 1,500 comments and suggestions for improvements to CRA services.

  • The CRA partnered with the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and the Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada to host a total of 21 sessions with small and medium business and accountants in cities across Canada.

Associated Links

Contacts

John Power
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of National Revenue
613-995-2960 

Media Relations
Canada Revenue Agency
613-941-6269

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