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. 

Matthew and Ashley live in Winnipeg. They have two children, ages 3 and 5.  They own their own home. 

Brian and Patricia retired a few years ago.  Brian is 74 and Patricia is 72.  The couple live in Halifax, NS and have RRIF balances of $300,000 and $400,000 respectively.

Robert and Jackie are contemplating retirement.  Robert is 65, earns $55,000 from employment and also receives a $24,000 pension.

Glen is single, age 55.  He lives alone in a rental apartment in Hamilton, Ontario.  His current salary is $55,000.  His rent is $1,000/month.

Now that the date of the Federal Budget has been announced, Tuesday April 21, and the Minister has met with learned private-sector economists, who confirmed the March private-sector forecasts will do in interpreting plans for the near future, there is much speculation on what the budget will announce and for whom

According to Finance Canada, more than 1.2 million net new jobs have been created in Canada since the depths of the recession—one of the strongest job creation records in the G-7.