Archives: Message from J. Paul Dubé, Taxpayers' Ombudsman

May 2012

Spring is tax filing season. This is a time when Canadians are more likely to require assistance from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) and, as taxpayers, we have service rights that entitle us to fair treatment from the CRA.

My Office recently launched two new publications to better inform Canadians about their rights as taxpayers and the services we can offer―Perspectives, a quarterly newsletter, and the Digest of Taxpayer Service Rights, an online resource for those looking to learn more about the eight service rights enshrined in the Taxpayer Bill of Rights.

The first edition of Perspectives was posted in March 2012. It included summaries of individual taxpayer complaints that my Office investigated and subsequently resolved. Future issues will provide detailed updates on the work my Office is doing to ensure taxpayer service rights are upheld. For more information, visit the Perspectives Newsletter section of our Web site.

Last month, I published my Digest of Taxpayer Service Rights (the Digest). A compilation of interpretations of service rights, detailed definitions, and case summaries specific to each Article, the Digest has been somewhat of a personal endeavour for me. My goal is to provide taxpayers with a reference tool they can easily access to not only facilitate a better understanding of what each service right means, but to provide real context for the types of complaints that are considered ‘service-related'.

The Digest will be updated frequently. By bookmarking our Digest of Taxpayer Service Rights section, you will ensure you will always have access to the latest information to help you in your dealings with the CRA.

As I embark on the second year of my second term as Taxpayers' Ombudsman, I intend to continue my efforts to inform taxpayers of the work my Office is doing to ensure they are receiving the professional service and fair treatment they are entitled to. I strongly believe that by making a consistent effort to keep taxpayers informed of their service rights and my Office's services, they will be better equipped to deal with the CRA in the future.

J. Paul Dubé

October 2011

My third Annual Report, which was tabled in Parliament on October 19, 2011, outlines the activities of my Office and how we have made a difference in the lives of Canadians over the past year.

We have assisted thousands of taxpayers with their complaints and enquiries, and brought about significant improvements in the way the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) serves and treats taxpayers.

Equally important, this year we reported the results of two investigations into systemic issues – those that negatively impacted large numbers of taxpayers – with specific recommendations to the Minister of National Revenue. I am pleased that the Minister has accepted every one and directed the CRA to implement them.

More and more taxpayers are seeing the benefits of an independent and impartial Ombudsman who helps resolve issues of service and fairness, and who acts as an agent of positive change.

J. Paul Dubé

December 2010

In December 2010, my office released the results of our investigation into systemic issues surrounding the Canada Child Tax Benefit. In our special report entitled Proving Your Status, we make a series of recommendations intended to help the CRA improve administration of the program and to make it easier for Canadians to establish their eligibility.

My office is presently reviewing several other issues of concern to taxpayers, as shown on the Public Consultations on Systemic Issues section on the Web site, and we invite your comments. You can submit comments via our Submit Comments fillable form, or you can call my office toll-free at 1-866-586-3839.

If you would like stay informed about new systemic issues or reports as they are posted on our Web site, you can subscribe to our RSS feed.

I am confident that my office is making a difference in the lives of Canadians by helping the CRA improve its service to, and treatment of, taxpayers.

J. Paul Dubé

November 2010

I am pleased to announce that my first special report on a systemic issue, The Right to Know, has now been published. This report examines the right of taxpayers to be provided with reasons for the decisions made by the Appeals Branch of the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). 

As Taxpayers' Ombudsman, I am mandated to identify and review systemic and emerging issues with the service provided by the CRA that can negatively affect taxpayers and benefit recipients.  In doing so, I work to find solutions which I then recommend to the Minister of National Revenue.

This report marks the first in a series of special reports which will highlight our findings with respect to systemic problems and include recommendations to address them.

We frequently look for taxpayers' comments on systemic issues.  In our section, Public Consultations on Systemic Issues, we post information on specific systemic issues which are open to public consultation.  You can submit your comments online via our Submit Comments fillable form, or you can call our Office toll-free at 1-866-586-3839.

If you would like stay informed on new systemic issues as they are posted on our Web site, you can subscribe to our RSS feed.

I am committed to building bridges between taxpayers and the CRA.  Through reporting on individual and systemic service-related issues in my both my annual reports and my special reports, I am confident that the constructive feedback that my office provides will help the CRA improve its service to, and treatment of, taxpayers.

J. Paul Dubé

July 2010

Welcome to our Web site. I hope you find it useful and informative.

I am proud to say that, despite being a relatively new organization, the Office of the Taxpayers' Ombudsman is making a difference in the lives of many taxpayers by helping resolve their disputes with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).

We have more work to do though; there are still taxpayers who don't know about the Taxpayer Bill of Rights or the services offered by my Office.

An important part of my job, therefore, is to inform Canadians that they have rights as taxpayers and that they have access to an independent and impartial Ombudsman to review unresolved complaints about the way they are served and treated by the CRA.

Rights and recourse options can only help if people know they exist. If you know someone who may benefit from our services, please refer them to our Web site or ask them to call us toll‑free at 1‑866‑586‑3839.

If you are not sure if your complaint is something we can deal with, call us and we will answer your questions.

I would also like to point you to a page on our Website that offers valuable taxpayer tips when dealing with the CRA. We also offer useful links to connect you with other organizations that may have the information, answers, or redress mechanisms you are seeking.

Your comments on systemic issues or about this Web site are always welcome.

J. Paul Dubé

Making a difference

It is always gratifying when the intervention of this office leads to the resolution of a problem between an individual taxpayer and the CRA. However many complaints about service or fairness are due less to a one-time error or misjudgement, and more to an underlying issue that will cause the problem to recur if not corrected. By looking at the policies and procedures that give rise to individual complaints, we are able to identify systemic and emerging issues related to service matters. By investigating these systemic issues and making recommendations for change, we seek to help solve problems that can negatively affect large numbers of taxpayers and prevent future complaints.

As a result of our intervention, the CRA has:

• issued apologies;
• released bank accounts they had seized;
• cancelled penalties and interest they were charging;
• reviewed some of its internal policies and procedures; and
• in some instances, ended collection activities.

Through our intervention in individual complaints and our investigation of systemic issues, my Office provides valuable feedback that helps the CRA maintain its high levels of service and make improvements whenever necessary.

That is a benefit to taxpayers and the CRA.

March 2010

Welcome to our Web site.

The Office of the Taxpayers' Ombudsman has been in operation for two years now. We are still busy building the organization, hiring the people we need, and reviewing protocols for interacting with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) in the most effective and efficient ways possible. There are new people in key leadership roles within the CRA and our organizations are getting to know each other better. But most importantly, and despite being a relatively new organization, I am proud to say that we are making a difference in the lives of many taxpayers by helping resolve their disputes with the CRA.

Outreach has been, and will continue to be, a priority for me. Indeed, a prime focus of my mandate is to raise awareness of the Taxpayer Bill of Rights and the role of the Taxpayers' Ombudsman. Our tour across the country has helped us get the message out that Canadians have rights as taxpayers and they also have an independent and impartial Ombudsman to review unresolved complaints about the way they are served and treated by the CRA. As Taxpayers' Ombudsman, I am committed to my role of promoting professional service and fair treatment by the CRA, in accordance with the Taxpayer Bill of Rights.

It is always gratifying when our intervention in a dispute between a taxpayer and the CRA leads to a resolution of the problem. However, many complaints about service are due less to a one-time error or misjudgment, and more to an underlying issue that will cause the problem to recur if not corrected. If we only resolved individual complaints in isolation, without looking at the policies and procedures that gave rise to them, we would miss the opportunity to identify systemic and emerging issues related to service matters that impact negatively on taxpayers.

Consultations with stakeholders such as tax professionals have given us further insight into some of these systemic issues. Recently, we began asking stakeholders to make submissions for consideration in our systemic reviews. We are asking tax professionals and other stakeholders to educate not only their clients and the public at large, but to educate their Taxpayers' Ombudsman too. I am encouraged that so many people have already heeded this call by sharing their experiences via our Web site.

Through our intervention in individual complaints and the investigation of systemic issues, my Office will provide valuable feedback that will help the CRA maintain its high levels of service and make improvements whenever necessary.

J. Paul Dubé

June 2009

The deadline has now passed for filing your income tax return. The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) will be sending out Notices of Assessment.

In the coming months, you may have further dealings with the CRA. You may need to contact the CRA with questions regarding your assessment, or the CRA may be asking you for more information.

You should know that a Taxpayer Bill of Rights exists that sets out how the CRA must treat taxpayers. Among other things, you are entitled to professional service, fair treatment, and timely and accurate information. The Office of the Taxpayers' Ombudsman was created to see that those rights are respected. The Office achieves this by providing independent and impartial reviews of individual complaints, as well as proposing solutions to systemic problems that could affect large numbers of taxpayers.

If you have filed a complaint with the CRA regarding the service you received from the CRA, and if your complaint was not resolved to your satisfaction, you can contact the Office of the Taxpayers' Ombudsman to receive an independent and impartial review of the matter.

Please consult this Web site for more information. If you are not sure if your complaint is something we can deal with, call us toll-free and we will answer your questions.

J. Paul Dubé

April 2009

I am honoured to serve as Canada's first Taxpayers' Ombudsman.

As Taxpayers' Ombudsman, I am a special advisor who reports directly to the Minister of National Revenue but whose office operates at arm's length from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).

The Office of the Taxpayers' Ombudsman has been in operation since February 2008. Despite the fact that we are still building and staffing our organization, we have already made a difference in the lives of many Canadian taxpayers. By resolving Canadians' service and fairness complaints, we are helping them and helping the CRA ensure that it provides professional service and fair treatment to taxpayers.

Our progress to date, including examples of how we are upholding the Taxpayer Bill of Rights, has been highlighted in our Interim Report, which was released in March 2009. The Interim Report complements the national outreach tour we have begun, which is intended to, among other things, raise awareness of the Taxpayer Bill of Rights and the Office of the Taxpayers' Ombudsman.

In my travels across Canada during the past year, I have made several presentations to the CRA, tax professionals, Members of Parliament and their staff, as well as special interest groups to explain the role of my office. My meetings with these stakeholders have also given me the opportunity to learn as much as I can about the issues that arise in the CRA's service to, and treatment of, taxpayers.

The Office of the Taxpayers' Ombudsman will continue to deal with individual complaints; however, we have also begun identifying systemic service issues and trends that affect a larger number of Canadians. We will be reporting on these systemic issues in an upcoming Annual Report.

I am looking forward to the second year of my mandate, during which I will continue to ensure that taxpayers get the professional service and fair treatment they are entitled to from the CRA.

J. Paul Dubé