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. 

Advise your clients on the tax impact of various events on both sides of the border. Enrol in Cross Border Taxation – try the first chapter for free!

Should joint tax filing to enable full family income splitting be allowed? 70% of KBR readers say ‘yes.’

The new Registration of Tax Preparers Program, proposed to launch during the 2016-2017 fiscal year, will keep track of errors associated with a particular registrant in an effort of improve compliance. CRA is seeking input on this change in its relationship with professionals.

Jane Rooney has been selected as the Financial Literacy Leader of Canada. The Task Force on Financial Literacy provided 30 recommendations, including the appointment of a Financial Literacy Leader, to help Canadians become equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to make responsible financial decisions.

The Tax Court of Canada (TCC) recently decided that, although a relevant factor, prior convictions in criminal proceedings resulting from plea bargains are not determinative of the relevant facts and issues in a subsequent civil tax appeal.

Canadians are increasingly transacting online and tracking the path the money takes – into and out of various accounts – and credit arrangements can be complicated, frustrating at times, and difficult to track.