Payment and Enquiries Counter Research

Prepared for the:
Canada Revenue Agency
June 2012
Contract Number: 46558-129850/001 CY
Contract Award Date: 2011-09-08
Project Cost: $54,963.20 (includes HST)
POR Number: 017-11

Prepared by:
Corporate Research Associates, Inc.

Media Enquiries:
Media Relations
Canada Revenue Agency
4th Floor 555 MacKenzie Avenue
Ottawa ON K1A 0L5
media.relations@cra-arc.gc.ca


Executive Summary

The Payment and Enquiries Counter Research study seeks to assess the preferences and the awareness of taxpayers vis-à-vis the different service options provided by the Canada Revenue Agency. Corporate Research Associates, Inc. was commissioned to conduct the study on behalf of the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), at a total contracted project cost of $54,963.20, HST included.

Objectives

Specific objectives of the research are:

  1. To provide attitudinal research in support of a program evaluation;
  2. To assess awareness of the different options made available by the CRA to make payments and resolve enquiries;
  3. To determine which service options are used to file, obtain information and make payments;
  4. To understand the options Canadians generally use to pay bills and obtain information in their day-to-day lives;
  5. To understand taxpayers’ level of satisfaction/comfort with the service option they use to obtain information/make payments; and
  6. To determine the taxpayers’ preferences for the different options offered by the CRA to obtain information/make payments.

Methodology

To meet these objectives, telephone interviews were conducted with three target groups: individuals (sample size of 750), businesses (sample size of 300), and tax practitioners (sample size of 201).

Individuals: Interviews were conducted with an adult in the household who had completed a tax return within the past two years, across all ten provinces and the northern territories. The overall sample size of n=750 renders a margin of error of +/- 3.6 percentage points, 19 in 20 times.

Businesses: Interviews were conducted with Canadian business representatives who have awareness of their company’s tax return or GST return processes from the past two years. The overall sample size of n=300 renders a margin of error of +/- 5.7 percentage points, 19 in 20 times.

Tax practitioners: Interviews were conducted with Canadian professional tax practitioners, derived from companies that focus on tax filing (e.g., H&R Block), as well as companies that focus on tax issues more broadly pertaining to individuals and/or businesses. The overall sample size of n=201 renders a margin of error of +/- 6.9 percentage points, 19 in 20 times.

Figures are numbered sequentially throughout this report. Of note, for every question there is an associated banner table with the same number i.e. Question #1 data can be found in Table #1. Question numbers can be found in the footer of each graph, and banner tables are included in a separate report.

Results

Findings indicate that while accessing information electronically is popular for many CRA clients, other methods, such as in person and traditional mail, are important methods for other clients. There is a high level of awareness and satisfaction with the various methods that can be used to contact the CRA. The most appealing options when accessing information related to tax questions are the toll free telephone service, or the CRA Web site. Across all three audiences, at least two-thirds rate one of these two options as most appealing.

There is high awareness of the various tax payment options, the most popular being making payments directly to the CRA by mail (48% of individuals, 72% of businesses, and 78% of tax practitioners have done so within the past two years), followed by making payments at a financial institution, either in person or by using online banking. These options are rated as the most appealing option by all three groups; the least appealing option is in person at a Tax Services Office (TSO).

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