Taxpayer’s ombudsman reviews complaints

It is tax filing season and a good time for Canadians to learn more about their rights as taxpayers – in particular, the Taxpayer Bill of Rights and the Office of the Taxpayers’ Ombudsman.

Canada’s Taxpayer Bill of Rights was expanded in 2007 to include eight service rights. Mr. J. Paul Dubé was appointed as Canada’s first Taxpayers' Ombudsman in February 2008 to uphold these eight service rights by ensuring that taxpayers get professional service and fair treatment from the CRA. 

“In that light, the Office of the Taxpayers' Ombudsman plays an important new role by providing independent and impartial reviews of complaints about how the CRA serves and treats taxpayers,” says Rox-Anne D’Aoust, senior public affairs advisor for the Office of the Taxpayers’ Ombudsman. “The Office also addresses systemic problems that affect large numbers of taxpayers.”

D’Aoust says that the activities of the Office of the Taxpayers' Ombudsman have already resulted in a number of disputes between taxpayers and the CRA being resolved. As a result of the office’s intervention, she says, the CRA has:

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

D’Aoust notes that confidentiality is a requirement of the Income Tax Act and a cornerstone of the practice of ombudsmanry. To this end, the Ombudsman cannot confirm or comment on individual cases. Additional information is available here IMBED http://www.taxpayersrights.gc.ca/mssg-eng.html

An electronic version of the office’s interim report as well as its first annual report is available here [imbed]http://www.taxpayersrights.gc.ca/rprts/menu-eng.html.