Research Report
Canada Revenue Agency Report Card
A Small Business Audit of the CRA
Lucie Charron, Senior Economist
Doug Bruce, Director of Research
When it comes to services provided by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), small- and medium-sized business (SME) owners and tax practitioners have not seen much improvement in the past several years. Indeed, while the CRA obtained some favourable marks for its web site and electronic services, the latest CFIB survey results of 8,271 business owners and 472 tax practitioners point to an overall downward trend in CRA service quality. This trend is worrisome given the impacts that the CRA has on the SME sector and the Canadian economy.
The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) is one of the federal government’s largest agencies and it is much more than just a tax collector. It has the power to impact Canadians and businesses. Furthermore, the CRA plays a key role in setting the tone for the “taxpayer” and “business” climate of our economy.