Taxpayer Bill of Rights - Video

[Music in the background]

[Text on screen: "You have rights. We protect them." and "Taxpayer Bill of Rights".]

Narrator: Taxpayer Bill of Rights

[Video of a man with a headset wearing a green shirt sitting in front of his laptop.]

Narrator: Every year, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) interacts with millions of taxpayers and strives to provide quality service, but sometimes…

[Video of a man sitting on a sofa making a phone call with a cellphone in his right hand. He seems to be in distress as he rubs his forhead with his left hand.]

Narrator: You are dealing with the CRA and are unsatisfied with the service you received.

[Image of the Taxpayer Bill of Rights presented in English and French with a gradient banner in the background.]

Narrator: As a taxpayer, you have rights outlined within the Taxpayer Bill of Rights. They describe the treatment to which you are entitled when interacting with the CRA. Our Office upholds eight of the 16 rights.

We will describe the eight rights and an example of an issue you may encounter when dealing with the CRA.

[Video of a woman and a man sitting at the table facing eachother. The woman hands over a document where the man grabs it to sign it.]

Narrator: Article #5 You have the right to be treated professionally, courteously, and fairly [by the CRA].

Article #5. Examples

• A CRA agent disconnected the call when you asked for a supervisor
• A CRA agent refused to send you a letter to help you understand your tax obligations

[A video of an hourglass with sand spilling into the bottom portion.]

Narrator: Article #6 You have the right to complete, accurate, clear, and timely information [from the CRA].

Article #6. Examples

• The CRA did not process your request within a reasonable timeframe
• The CRA’s letter was too technical

[A video of a woman and a man sitting at the table facing eachother. The man is writing something on a piece of paper with a pen. There is a laptop nearby.]

Narrator: Article #9 You have the right to lodge a service complaint and to be provided with an explanation of [the CRA's] findings.

Article #9. Example

• CRA Service Feedback did not respond to your complaint

[A video of a woman typing on a calculator. There is paper and a laptop nearby.]

Narrator: Article #10 You have the right to have the costs of compliance taken into account [by the CRA] when administering tax legislation.

Article #10. Examples

• The process to regain access to your CRA Account was difficult
• The CRA provided you with limited options to communicate

[A video of a woman talking on a corded telephone. She is smiling as she hangs up the phone. There is a cup of coffee, a notebook and a laptop nearby.]

Narrator: Article #11 You have the right to expect [the CRA] to be accountable.

Article #11. Example

• The CRA did not explain a decision or tell you about your rights and obligations.

[A video of a calendar showing the days from 1 to 31. The number 31 is circled in red. There is two pencils laying on the table next to the calendar. They are both red and blue.]

Narrator: Article #13 You have the right to expect [the CRA] to publish [its] service standards and report annually.

Article #13. Example

• The CRA did not publish the results of its performance against its service standards.

[A video of a woman looking at her cellphone. She looks upset.]

Narrator: Article #14 You have the right to expect [the CRA] to warn you about questionable tax schemes in a timely manner.

Article #14. Example

• The CRA was aware of a tax scheme and did not inform taxpayers soon enough.

[A video of an elderly man sitting next to another man shaking hands.]

Narrator: Article #15 You have the right to be represented by a person of your choice.

Article #15. Example

• The CRA refused to deal with your authorized representative

[Image of the Taxpayer Bill of Rights presented in English and French with a gradient banner in the background.]

Narrator: If you feel your service rights weren't respected by the CRA... we may be able to help

[Image with the following information:

• Office of the Taxpayers’ Ombudsperson
• canada.ca/taxpayers-ombudsperson
• 1-866-586-3839 or 613-221-3109
• Follow us on social media
  • Twitter @OTO_Canada
  • Facebook @TaxpayersOmbudsperson
  • Youtube Office of the Taxpayers’ Ombudsperson]

[Visual of the Canada wordmark]