CRA Promises:  Better Answers, More Timely Response Coming?

Beth Graddon

Tax professionals have had an important say about CRA’s services, but the best news coming out of the CRA’s recent comments on results is that communication will become easier. The Dedicated Telephone Service (DTS) Annual Survey revealed most pros were satisfied with the service they received using this phone line, but also had a number of service standard improvement suggestions, which the CRA has promised to address.  Here’s what the pros said:

1. Better answers – Requests for Technical Interpretations Opening Up 

Tax pros have been experiencing the same issue that has also been identified as a challenging with the phone line for individuals: answers from CRA representatives are too general, not applicable to questions posed, and sometimes incorrect. The CRA is now providing the name of the officer assigned to each case in the response issue so further follow-up with the same person is a possibility.

If an enquiry can’t be resolved after working with the DTS officer, the CRA plans to facilitate opening a request for a Technical Interpretation from the Income Tax Rulings Directorate. More information on this process is available in the current version of IC70-6R9, Advance Income Tax Rulings and Technical Interpretations. 

1. Providing a timely response – Immediate is Not Possible

Some tax pros indicated they’d like faster replies to their enquiries, including immediate response from the CRA officers. The current service standard is to provide guidance within three business days. In an effort to further reduce the time it takes to provide a response, the CRA has taken steps to streamline administrative and review processes, unfortunately has not committed to immediate responses.  In fact, they have said it will not be a possibility. Further detail on how they intend to streamline their processes is not yet available.

1. Easier Access to the DTS – Online chat, Web forms and After-Hours Voicemail Coming

A number of survey respondents indicated they would like to communicate with the CRA through more channels than just the telephone. The CRA plans to upgrade their system to offer other modes of communication, including online chat and web forms, as well as after-hours voicemail. These enhancements should be ready for implementation in late 2021.

The next DTS survey will be released by the CRA soon – and it’s an important opportunity to have your voices heard, especially as we head into dealing with unprecedented client taxation issues and challenges resulting from this most unusual year.  We’ll provide further information in Knowledge Bureau Report as it becomes available.

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