News release

The Canada Revenue Agency Enters into Information Sharing Agreement with the Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Commission of Newfoundland and Labrador

St. John's, Newfoundland, May 5, 2004... The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) and the Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Commission (the Commission) have entered into an information sharing agreement through a Memorandum of Understanding. The agreement allows the organizations to share employer registration information, helping them to identify employers who may be registered with one organization but not the other. The information will also be used to determine if an employer should be paying both Workers' Compensation premiums to the provincial government and tax and GST to the Canada Revenue Agency.

Revenue Minister Stan Keyes says the sharing of information between the two organizations ensures that all employers are contributing, as they should be. "The matching of our databases helps identify those employers who may be required to be registered, and then levels the playing field by ensuring fairness in the administration of CRA and Commission programs to all employers," says Minister Keyes.

Ann Marie Hann, Chief Executive Officer at the Commission says, "During our consultation process, employers expressed their concerns over the fairness of assessment rates they pay." She continued, "Sharing information with the CRA will help the Commission ensure that employers who should be registered are registered, making sure the rates all employers pay are fair for all."

Compliance with both organizations is mandatory for most employers. Discovering after the fact that an employer's company should have been registered can create significant financial hardship. If employers are not registered, but should be, they may be charged backdated premiums and penalties.

This document is also available for download in .pdf format.

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