Time’s Up: CRA’s 100 Day Mandate for Improvement

After years of frustration on the part of tax professionals and taxpayers alike, the Finance Minister ordered the Canada Revenue Agency to clean up its act in 100 days. Specifically, the improvement plan was to run from September 2 through December 11. Finance Minister and Minister of National Revenue, Francoise-Phillippe Champagne instructed CRA to fix “unacceptable wait times and service delays.” Time’s up this week and CRA has released an update on progress. What gets measured, gets done. Let’s see what CRA’s metrics show. 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Tax and financial advisors are under the microscope for their performance, competency and high value. Hear the stories of distinguished professionals who are unafraid to embrace the new challenges of regulation and change.

Yasemin Aygun, owner of Bookkeeping Bizz in North York, Ontario, offers bookkeeping, payroll, and tax and advisory services through her firm. A recent graduate of the Knowledge Bureau’s DFA-Tax Services Specialist designation, she knows how valuable professional development is in helping her differentiate her firm from other financial advisors.

Winnipeg, MB - Top tax and wealth advisors from across Canada will travel to Puerto Vallarta later this fall to participate in a strategic think tank on the challenge of building multi-generational relationships in a global environment in which digital communications both enhance opportunities and  present new risks.

It’s a warm summer day. You’re relaxing in the yard and wondering what could possibly make this day better. And then, out of the blue, you receive an e-mail from Canada Revenue Agency stating that they’ve discovered they owe you money!  Could this be true?  Or, do you need to wake up and smell the coffee . . . .?  There are two scams in particular to brief your clients about:  Refund and Collection Scams.

Last week, CRA reminded families to apply for the generous new Universal Child Care Benefit (UCCB) being delivered to families this week. But there may also be more good news:  enhanced Family Tax Cut dollars available for the 2014 tax filing year for families in which one spouse was a full- or part-time student... $2 to $750 more in fact.

A new version of form RC343 has been released by the CRA to calculate TFSA contribution room for 2015, taking into account the new 2015 contribution limit of $10,000.