annual report to parliament 2012–2013
Section 1: Introduction
Our agency
The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) is responsible for administering, assessing, and collecting hundreds of billions of dollars in tax revenues annually. The money the CRA collects is used by federal, provincial, territorial and First Nations governments to fund important social programs, provide essential services, and build and maintain the infrastructure needed for continued economic prosperity. The CRA also directly delivers billions of dollars in benefits and tax credits that contribute to the well–being of Canadian families, children, seniors, and persons with disabilities.
In carrying out its mandate, the CRA strives to ensure that Canadians:
- pay their required share of taxes;
- receive their rightful entitlements; and
- are provided with an impartial and responsive review of contested decisions.
Our commitment
We are committed to contributing to the well–being of Canadians and supporting economic prosperity by delivering an efficient world–class tax and benefit administration that is responsive, effective, and trusted.
At the CRA we are:
- supporting job creation and economic growth, by streamlining our processes and easing the compliance burden on business.
- helping hard–working Canadian families, by making sure they get the benefits and credits to which they are entitled, on time.
- reducing the cost of government, by improving the efficiency of our back–room operations and providing modern, efficient services.
- demonstrating integrity and accountability, by conducting our affairs with integrity, professionalism and transparency.
Our key results
| Performance indicators | Targets | 2010–2011 | 2011–2012 | 2012–2013 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Individuals who paid their reported taxes on time | 90% | 94% | 94% | 95% |
| Individuals that filed their tax return on time | 90% | 93% | 91% | 92% |
| Corporations with taxable income that filed their tax return on time | 90% | 85% | 85% | 85% |
| Businesses registered for the GST/HST |
90% | 93% | 94% | 95% |
The four pillars of our approach
Providing exceptional service to make compliance easier
We believe that providing service excellence and easing the compliance burden is the best way to empower taxpayers to comply and ensure that benefit recipients receive the benefits to which they are entitled.
Ensuring compliance to safeguard our self–assessment system
Canadians must have confidence in the fairness and integrity of their tax system. That's why the CRA is committed to ensuring that everyone pays their share. If left unchecked, non–compliance undermines the basis of our self–assessment tax system and impairs the ability of the government to fund important programs and invest in critical infrastructure. We ensure compliance by detecting, deterring, and correcting the behaviour of those who are non–compliant through error or willful neglect.
Acting with integrity to maintain the trust of Canadians
Our absolute commitment to integrity preserves and strengthens the trust Canadians place in our administration and is essential to the success of our self–assessment tax system. Whether we are providing services or enforcing the law, conducting our affairs with complete integrity is at the core of all that we do.
Leading change through innovation
Our approach to innovation is driven by our desire to remain a world–class tax and benefits administration. From the delivery of tax information through social media to the re–engineering of internal processes, we are demonstrating our ability to innovate and find better ways to meet the evolving needs and expectations of taxpayers, benefit recipients, and governments. Our IT investments are the driving force behind innovation. As an organization, we are not satisfied by simply reacting to change, we are embracing innovation and leading change.
Our strategic directions
Vision 2020 sets out the strategic directions in which we must move as an organization to continue to deliver the best possible tax and benefits administration for all Canadians. By moving in these directions we are complementing and strengthening the four pillars of our fundamental approach to the administration of Canada's tax and benefit system.
How to read this year's report
This report outlines the CRA's performance results for the 2012–2013 fiscal year. The results achieved demonstrate that the CRA is an effective and efficient tax and benefits administrator and is contributing to the ongoing economic and social well–being of Canadians. Despite our success, we recognize that in order to continue to be one of the world's leading tax and benefits administrations, we must have a clear strategic vision for the future. This report tells the story of our strategic journey as we head towards Vision 2020 and strengthen the four pillars of our approach to tax and benefits administration.
In addition to telling the story of our strategic journey and providing this year's performance results, this report also details the steps we have undertaken to deliver on our commitment to support the government's efforts to reduce the federal deficit. We are contributing to this important government priority through our participation in several government–wide initiatives and by the implementation of cost saving and containment measures within our own organization.
There is no doubt that the need to deliver on deficit reduction commitments has accelerated the pace of change at the CRA. However, readers of this document should also understand that while the pace of change at the CRA may be affected by a need to meet immediate government priorities, the substance and nature of these changes is always determined by our longer term strategic directions and the CRA's fundamental approach to tax and benefits administration.
The initiatives and program improvements described in this report are best viewed through the lens of the four pillars of our approach to tax and benefits administration. When viewed in this way, the initiatives highlighted in this year's report are seen in their proper context. The investments we have made in infrastructure, the changes we have implemented in our operations and the new services we have introduced have all been made with the express purpose of improving our capacity to:
- provide exceptional service to make compliance easier;
- ensure compliance and safeguard our self–assessment system;
- act with integrity to maintain the trust of Canadians; and
- leading change through innovation.
Our initiatives and investments decisions have been guided by our CRA strategic directions and implemented to enhance the fundamentals of our approach to tax and benefits administration. This is true whether we have been working with international partners to combat aggressive tax planning and the underground economy, enhancing our e–services and information products, or participating in government–wide initiatives such as red tape reduction.
This year's report tells the performance story of an organization with a sound approach and a clear strategic vision that is building for the future, supporting important government priorities, and delivering on its mandate.
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