News release

Revenue Canada announces enhanced client services

OTTAWA, March 9, 1998...The Honourable Herb Dhaliwal, Minister of National Revenue and M.P. (Vancouver South - Burnaby), today announced a number of client service initiatives for the 1998 tax filing season. These include the establishment of a new call site that will help individuals get better access to the telephone service when they call their local Revenue Canada office.

The new National 1-800 Overflow Call Centre, located in Ottawa, automatically receives 1 800 calls that would otherwise receive a busy signal at the local office. As a result, more people are able to get through to the Department's enquiries lines. "We have established this new telephone service to ensure that we are more accessible to our clients," said Mr. Dhaliwal. "We want individuals who need filing season or credit information to get the assistance they're looking for in the shortest time possible."

The National 1-800 Overflow Call Centre can handle up to 10,000 enquiries a day.

The National 1-800 Overflow Call Centre is one of a series of initiatives the Department is undertaking to improve accessibility to its clients. Revenue Canada has also made an additional investment in its enquiries services in Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. The Department has implemented strategies to reduce the need for taxfilers to call, such as making more information available on the Internet and expanding its outreach and client education programs. Revenue Canada is also using the latest technology, like automated front-end phone messages, to make further improvements to client services.

Minister Dhaliwal also announced an expansion of the Department's TELEFILE service to millions of taxpayers across the country.

Beginning this year, Revenue Canada's TELEFILE service is available nationally. TELEFILE is an automated process which allows certain taxpayers to file their income tax returns from home using a touch-tone phone. To use the service, they simply complete their returns, call the TELEFILE service, and provide the requested tax information using the telephone keypad. The automated service then completes all the calculations.

"TELEFILE is an easy and convenient way to file a tax return," Mr. Dhaliwal said. "As well, the service is secure, confidential and quick. We can process most TELEFILE tax returns within two weeks."

Approximately 8 million taxpayers have received a TELEFILE invitation with their income tax returns. To date, over 135,000 taxpayers have successfully used TELEFILE to send their returns to Revenue Canada.

The Minister also stated that so far this filing season, the Department has received 839,838 paper returns and 543,326 electronically filed returns. The total number of returns assessed to date is 765,649. Of this number, 579,680 will result in refunds to taxpayers. To date, Revenue Canada has issued $500 million worth of refunds.

For those Canadians who have not yet filed, the Minister outlined the many tax assistance services available to help clients during filing season. These include the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program, extended hours of service, Saturday service, and temporary tax clinics.

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