Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) Commissioner Bob Hamilton may have been less than forthcoming in testimony regarding the number of employees at the tax agency who were involved in fraudulent claims for COVID benefits. Although Hamilton previously told a Commons committee that there were “not very many” employees involved in the fraud, CRA spokesperson Sylvie Branch confirmed on…
Number of CRA Employees Fraudulently Claiming CERB Not Disclosed by Commissioner Testimony
CRA Fires 20 Employees, Probes Hundreds for ‘Inappropriately’ Claiming CERB Benefits
The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has fired 20 employees while investigating about 600 others for applying for COVID-19 financial aid benefits while working for the agency. CRA spokesperson Sylvie Branch confirmed on June 30 that the agency is investigating 600 of its workers for “inappropriately” claiming the $2,000-per-month Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) while they were employed…
Shopify CEO Vows to Fight CRA Demand for Six Years of Canadian Merchant Records
E-commerce giant Shopify plans to fight a Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) demand for six years of records from more than 121,000 Canadian merchants that work with the platform to build online stores. “I don’t particularly want a fight with the CRA (Canada’s tax authority)- but we got asked to backchannel them 6 years of records…
Bankers ‘Shocked’ by Federal Budget Bill Clause That Allows 30-Year Retroactive GST Audit
A group of 60 Canadian banks has told a Senate committee they were shocked to learn the federal government’s omnibus budget bill includes a clause allowing a retroactive GST audit on credit card issuers going back 30 years. “Retroactively taxing past transactions, especially in the face of court rulings to the contrary, erodes investor confidence…
Looming CRA Strike a ‘Threat’ to Small Businesses, Tax Deadlines Should Be Delayed: Business Group
The potential strike by Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) workers “poses a threat to small businesses,” as they rely heavily on CRA for guidance needed to file their taxes on time, says the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB). CFIB called on CRA to delay tax deadlines so businesses don’t receive penalties and interest for filing late….
CRA Says Tax Deadline Won’t Be Extended Despite Possible Workers’ Strike
The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) says it has no plans to extend the deadline to file taxes despite a potential strike involving thousands of workers in a labour dispute over contracts, wages, and remote work. “There are no plans to extend the T1 tax filing deadlines, as a potential strike in no way impedes the ability of…
Canada Revenue Agency Call Centres Likely to Struggle With Wait Times This Tax Season
While the government has invested millions in Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) call centres in recent years, taxpayers still only have a 50–50 chance of talking to a live agent within 15 minutes, according to an agency report. In 2020–2021, wait times often exceeded an hour during peak periods, or more than three hours to reach…
CRA ‘Confident’ It Can Find Compromise With Workers as Threat of Tax Season Strike Looms
The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) says it expects a new collective agreement can be reached with its unionized workers through compromise on both sides before a potential strike affects tax season. In a statement issued April 7, CRA said it is “committed to pursuing meaningful negotiations” with the Public Service Alliance of Canada-Union of Taxation Employees…
Federal Tax Workers Vote in Favour of Striking in Middle of Tax Filing Season
OTTAWA—More than 35,000 federal workers who assess and approve tax returns will be in a legal strike position by April 14, just two weeks before the annual deadline for Canadians to file their taxes. The strike vote comes after more than a year of haggling between the Canada Revenue Agency and workers represented by the…
CRA Recalibrates to Grab Its Share From Burgeoning ‘Underground Economy’
The underground economy is growing but the Canada Revenue Agency has a plan of attack on neglectful and evasive taxpayers, say federal reports. “The underground economy in 2021,” a Statistics Canada report released Feb. 20, said the value of unreported transactions in 2021 was estimated at $68.5 billion, or 2.7 percent of gross domestic product…
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